The answer is yes and no: whilst there is no silver bullet of weight loss medications that works without any significant side effects, there are a few options on the market that I will go through now.
Over the years many obesity treatments have come and gone. Doctors in the past have tried everything from smoking to tape worms to giving excess thyroxine hormone to assist in weight loss. These treatments are no longer licenced for weight loss, and neither is Reductil (sibutramine) since 2010 as it was associated with and increase rate of strokes and heart attacks.
So what weight loss medicines are on the market in New Zealand and do they work?
One available is called Phentyramine or Duromine. This medicine works by making you feel full early, therefore, decreasing food intake. It can increase blood pressure so should be avoided in those at risk of cardiovascular disease. It can also increase anxiety and has a small potential for addiction/ abuse. It has been shown to work, but only in short term trials, therefore, is only licenced in New Zealand to use for 12 weeks. It is not known if your weight stays down when off the drug.
The other main weight loss drug available in New Zealand is Orlistat or Xenical. This works by stopping the absorption of fat by your intestine. as a result of this, it forces you to decrease the fat in your diet or suffer increased gas and diarrhoea on the explosive side. If on it long term you will also need to take vitamin supplements for the vitamins that you can not absorb. Orlistat works for weight loss too, especially in the short term. Some people find the unfunded weekly cost of roughly 80 dollars per week quite high to afford.
There are other medicines on the market they may assist in weight loss, but their main use is for other conditions. These include diabetes medicines, antidepressants and migraine medicines. Not licenced for weight loss per se (likely because their effects may not be marked). they may be useful if you have that condition needing treatment and a weight problem.
Exactly where pills sit in our weight loss arsenal is not exactly clear. In certain people, they may be useful to kick start your weight loss journey: let you see the results to give you the motivation to build on.
And don’t forget, regardless of whether you lose weight all the exercise and eating good food will be helping your body no end, regardless of whether the scales trend down.
By Dr Davis Hassan
General Practitioner
I am interested in providing a real perspective on health and medicine and aim to focus on the things that matter when considering a health issue, and what has worked with my patients.