Doctors will only recommend diet pills approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). However, these medicines are not usually for the average dieter, but for people who are seriously obese. And doctors recommend that people taking them also restrict their diet and increase the amount that they exercise.
Diet Pills That Doctors Will Recommend
Three weight-loss medicine doctors recommend are Xenical, Meridia and Alli. Alli is the over-the-counter version Xenical, which is a prescription medicine. Patients also need a prescription for Meridia, Xenical and Alli help people lose weight by blocking keeping their body from absorbing and digesting fat. By blocking the fat it reduces fat absorption by almost one-third. Because of this, it should be used in conjunction with a low-fat diet. Meridia adjusts chemicals in the body that affect a person's weight. Doctors will only recommend weight-loss medicine for obese people, who have tried to diet and lose weight without success. They will also recommend these medicines if a person's excess weight is creating adverse medical issues.
Side Effects
Most people experience mild side effects from all three of these weight-loss medicines. With Meridia, patients may experience constipation, insomnia, dry mouth and an increase in blood pressure. It may also cause restlessness, dizziness, irregular heartbeat, allergies and make it difficult to concentrate. In many patients, Xenical and Alli can cause diarrhea, gas, abdominal pain, bloating and oily stools.
New Diet Drugs
Doctors know that the safety and effectiveness of these weight-loss drugs have not been proven past two years of use. So people should not expect their doctor to continue prescribing them long-term. The doctor will also want to schedule check-ups to monitor progress and any adverse effects while a person is on this medicine.
Diet and Exercise
Diet pills alone are not the answer. According to Mandy Leonard, PharmD, assistant director of the Drug Information Center at Cleveland Clinic, the FDA-approved diet drugs should be used along with dietary changes and behavioral therapy "Alli has side effects and still needs to be used in the context of a low-fat, reduced calorie diet," says Dr. Leonard. "It's not a miracle drug for weight-loss, or, for that matter, a benign medication."
Healthy Lifestyle
"No drug is as powerful as switching to a healthier lifestyle," says Dr. Leonard. "That's still the best 'pill' we have for losing weight."
