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Weight Management Medications
Prescription Medications to Treat Overweight and Obesity; Anti-Obesity Drugs; Anti-Obesity Medications; Weight Loss Drugs; Weight Loss Medications
Weight management medications are meant to help people who have health problems related to overweight or obesity. These medications work in different ways. Learn more about what medications there are and how they work.
Weight loss medication
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Hunger
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Prescription medications to treat overweight and obesity work in different ways. For example, some medications may help you feel less hungry or full sooner. Other medications may make it harder for your body to absorb fat from the foods you eat.
Source: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
Normal Abominable Visceral Fat / Toxic Abominable Visceral Fat
Visceral Fat
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Normal Abominable Visceral Fat / Toxic Abominable Visceral Fat
Health care professionals use the Body Mass Index (BMI), a measure of your weight in relation to your height, to define overweight and obesity.
People who have a BMI between 25 and 30 are considered to be overweight. Obesity is defined as having a BMI of 30 or greater. You can calculate your BMI to learn if you are overweight, have obesity, or have severe obesity, which may increase your risk of health problems. Your health care professional can assess your individual risk caused by your weight.
If you are struggling with your weight, a healthy eating plan and regular physical activity may help you lose weight and keep it off over the long term. If these lifestyle changes are not enough to help you lose weight or maintain your weight loss, your health care professional may prescribe medications as part of your weight-control program.
Obesity is a chronic disease that affects more than 4 in 10 adults in the United States, and nearly 1 in 10 Americans have severe obesity.
Source: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
Extruded Fat / Coronal View
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Cross Section of African American male abdomen exposing extracorporeal fat and toxic visceral fat / Cross Section of abdomen exposing extracorporeal fat and toxic visceral fat
Cross Section of abdomen exposing extracorporeal fat and toxic visceral fat
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Cross Section of African American male abdomen exposing extracorporeal fat and toxic visceral fat / Cross Section of abdomen exposing extracorporeal fat and toxic visceral fat
Weight management medications are meant to help people who have health problems related to overweight or obesity. Health care professionals use BMI to help decide whether you might benefit from weight management medications. Your health care professional may prescribe a medication to treat your overweight or obesity if you are an adult with
Weight management medications aren’t for everyone with a high BMI. If you are overweight or have obesity, you might be able to lose weight with a lifestyle program that changes your behaviors and improves your eating and physical activity habits. A lifestyle program may also address other things that cause you to gain weight, such as eating triggers and not getting enough sleep.
Source: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
Consequences of Childhood Obesity
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Most of the weight management medications approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are for adults only. Two prescription medications, orlistat (Xenical) and liraglutide (Saxenda), are approved by the FDA for children ages 12 and older. A third prescription medication, setmelanotide (IMCIVREE), is approved by the FDA for children ages 6 years and older who have rare genetic disorders causing obesity.
Source: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
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Uric Acid: Obesity and Gout
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Medications don’t replace physical activity or healthy eating habits as a way to lose weight. Studies show that weight management medications work best when combined with a lifestyle program. Ask your health care professional about lifestyle treatment programs for weight management that will work for you.
Source: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
Before - Obese man lifting weights / After - Man lifting weights after weight loss
Lose Weight
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When combined with changes to behavior, including healthy eating and increased physical activity, prescription medications help some people lose weight and maintain weight loss. On average, after 1 year, people who take prescription medications as part of a lifestyle program lose 3% to 12% more of their starting body weight than people in a lifestyle program who do not take medication.
Research shows that some people taking prescription weight management medications lose 10% or more of their starting weight. Results vary by medication and by person.
Weight loss of 5% to 10% of your starting body weight may help improve your health by lowering blood sugar, blood pressure, and triglyceride levels. Losing weight also can improve some other health problems related to overweight and obesity, such as joint pain and sleep apnea. Most weight loss takes place within the first 6 months of starting the medication.
Source: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
Nausea
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Experts are concerned that, in some cases, the side effects of prescription medications that treat overweight and obesity may outweigh the benefits. For this reason, never take a weight management medication only to improve the way you look. In the past, some weight management medications were linked to serious health problems, and they were removed from U.S. markets.
Possible side effects vary by medication and how it acts on your body. Most side effects are mild and most often improve if you continue to take the medication. Rarely, serious side effects can occur.
Source: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
Side Effects
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Choosing a medication to treat overweight or obesity is a decision between you and your health care professional.
Important factors to consider include:
Source: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
Time to take medication concept
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How long you will need to take weight management medication depends on whether the drug helps you lose weight and keep it off and whether you experience serious side effects.
If you have lost enough weight to improve your health and are not experiencing serious side effects, your health care professional may advise you to stay on the medication indefinitely. If you do not lose at least 5% of your starting weight after 12 weeks on the full dose of your medication, your health care professional will probably advise you to stop taking it.
Your health care professional may also:
Because obesity is a chronic disease, you may need to continue your new eating and physical activity habits and other behaviors for years—or even a lifetime—to improve your health and maintain a healthier weight.
Source: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
Regaining Some Weight
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You probably will regain some weight after you stop taking weight management medication. Developing and maintaining healthy eating habits and increasing physical activity may help you regain less weight or keep it off.
Federal physical activity guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity and at least 2 days a week of muscle-strengthening activities. You may need to do more than 300 minutes of moderate-intensity activity a week to reach or maintain your weight-loss goal.
Source: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
The concept of weight loss using medication pills
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The table below lists prescription drugs approved by the FDA for weight loss. The FDA has approved five of these drugs—orlistat (Xenical, Alli), phentermine-topiramate (Qsymia), naltrexone-bupropion (Contrave), liraglutide (Saxenda), and semaglutide (Wegovy)—for long-term use. A sixth approved drug, setmelanotide (IMCIVREE), is limited to people who have been diagnosed with one of three specific rare genetic disorders, which must be confirmed by genetic testing. You can keep taking these medications as long as you are benefiting from treatment and not experiencing serious side effects.
Some weight management medications that curb appetite are approved by the FDA for short-term use only, for up to 12 weeks. Although some health care professionals prescribe them for longer periods, not many research studies have looked at how safe and effective they are for long-term use.
Never take weight management medications if you are pregnant. If you are planning to get pregnant, you should also avoid these medications, as some of them may harm the fetus.
| Weight Management Medication | Approved For | How It Works | Common Side Effects | Warnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| orlistat (Xenical) Available in lower dose without prescription (Alli) | Adults and children ages 12 and older | Works in your gut to reduce the amount of fat your body absorbs from the food you eat |
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| phentermine-topiramate (Qsymia) | Adults |
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| naltrexone-bupropion (Contrave) | Adults |
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| liraglutide (Saxenda) Given daily by injection | Adults and children ages 12 years and older |
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| semaglutide (Wegovy) Given weekly by injection | Adults |
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| setmelanotide (IMCIVREE) Available by injection only | People ages 6 years and older with obesity due to three specific rare genetic conditions only |
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| Only for people with any of these ultra-rare genetic diseases, confirmed by genetic testing
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(Other medications that curb your desire to eat include)
| Adults |
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Source: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
Liraglutide Injection (Weight Control)
Also called: Saxenda®
Liraglutide (Saxenda) is a prescription medicine that may help some obese or overweight adults who also have weight-related medical problems lose weight and keep the weight off. Saxenda is not used to treat type 2 diabetes.
Lorcaserin
Also called: Belviq®
Belviq (lorcaserin) is a prescription medicine used with a doctor-approved exercise, behavior change, and reduced-calorie diet program to help adults lose weight.
Methamphetamine
Also called: Desoxyn®
Methamphetamine is a prescription medicine used in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and obesity.
Naltrexone and Bupropion
Also called: Contrave®
Naltrexone and bupropion (Contrave) is a prescription weight-loss medicine that helps manage weight in overweight adults with weight-related medical problems.
Orlistat
Also called: Alli®, Xenical®
Orlistat is a prescription medicine used to treat obesity in adults and children ages 12 and older (Xenical). It is also available in lower dose without prescription (Alli).
Phentermine and Topiramate
Also called: Qsymia®
Phentermine and topiramate extended-release capsules (Qsymia) is a prescription medicine used together with diet and exercise to treat obesity in certain adults and children aged 12 years and older.
Semaglutide Injection
Also called: Ozempic®, Wegovy®
Semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) is a once-weekly noninsulin medicine that, along with diet and exercise, may help improve blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes. Semaglutide (Wegovy) is a once-weekly injection for chronic weight management in certain adults and children with obesity or overweight.
Setmelanotide Injection
Also called: Imcivree™
Setmelanotide (Imcivree) is a prescription medicine used to treat obesity and help control hunger caused by certain genetic conditions that affect how the brain controls feelings of hunger.
Weight Loss - Tape Measure on a Person's Waist
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U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Zepbound (tirzepatide) injection for chronic weight management in adults with obesity (body mass index of 30 kilograms per square meter (kg/ m2) or greater) or overweight (body mass index of 27 kg/m2 or greater) with at least one weight-related condition (such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes or high cholesterol) for use, in addition to a reduced calorie diet and increased physical activity. Tirzepatide, the active ingredient in Zepbound, is already approved under the trade name Mounjaro to be used along with diet and exercise to help improve blood sugar (glucose) in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
“Obesity and overweight are serious conditions that can be associated with some of the leading causes of death such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes,” said John Sharretts, M.D., director of the Division of Diabetes, Lipid Disorders, and Obesity in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “In light of increasing rates of both obesity and overweight in the United States, today’s approval addresses an unmet medical need.”
Approximately 70% of American adults have obesity or overweight, and many of those overweight have a weight-related condition. Losing 5% to 10% of body weight through diet and exercise has been associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease in adults with obesity or overweight.
Zepbound activates receptors of hormones secreted from the intestine (glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP)) to reduce appetite and food intake. Zepbound is administered by injection under the skin once weekly, and the dosage must be increased over four to 20 weeks to achieve the target dosages of 5 milligram (mg), 10 mg or 15 mg once weekly. The maximum dosage of Zepbound is 15 mg once weekly.
Zepbound’s effectiveness for chronic weight management (weight reduction and maintenance) in combination with a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity was established in two randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials of adults with obesity or overweight with at least one weight-related condition. These studies measured weight reduction after 72 weeks in a total of 2,519 patients who received either 5 mg, 10 mg or 15 mg of Zepbound once weekly and a total of 958 patients who received once-weekly placebo injections. In both trials, after 72 weeks of treatment, patients who received Zepbound at all three dose levels experienced a statistically significant reduction in body weight compared to those who received placebo, and greater proportions of patients who received Zepbound achieved at least 5% weight reduction compared to placebo.
The larger of the two trials enrolled adults without diabetes. At the start of the trial, the average body weight was 231 pounds (105 kg) and average body mass index was 38 kg/m2. In this trial, those randomized to receive the highest approved dosage of Zepbound (15 mg once weekly) lost on average 18% of their body weight compared to those randomized to placebo.
At the start of the trial in adults with type 2 diabetes, the average body weight was 222 pounds (101 kg) and average body mass index was 36 kg/m2. Those randomized to receive the highest approved dosage of Zepbound (15 mg once weekly) lost on average 12% of their body weight compared to those randomized to placebo.
Zepbound can cause side effects such as nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, constipation, abdominal (stomach) discomfort and pain, injection site reactions, fatigue, hypersensitivity (allergic) reactions (typically fever and rash), burping, hair loss and gastroesophageal reflux disease.
Zepbound causes thyroid C-cell tumors in rats. It is unknown whether Zepbound causes such tumors, including medullary thyroid cancer, in humans. Zepbound should not be used in patients with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer or in patients with Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2.
Zepbound has not been studied in patients with a history of pancreas inflammation (pancreatitis) or severe gastrointestinal disease (including severe gastroparesis, a condition that affects normal movement of the muscles in the stomach). It should not be used in combination with Mounjaro or a GLP-1 receptor agonist. The safety and effectiveness of coadministration of Zepbound with other medications for weight management have not been established.
Zepbound should not be used in patients with a history of severe allergic reaction to tirzepatide (its active ingredient) or to any of its other ingredients. Patients should stop Zepbound immediately and seek medical help if a severe allergic reaction is suspected. Zepbound also contains warnings for inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis), gallbladder problems, hypoglycemia (blood sugar that is too low), acute kidney injury, diabetic retinopathy (damage to the eye’s retina) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and suicidal behavior or thinking. Patients should discuss with their health care provider if they have symptoms of pancreatitis or gallstones. If Zepbound is used with insulin or a medication that causes insulin secretion, patients should speak to their health care provider about potentially lowering the dose of these other medicines to reduce the risk of hypoglycemia. Health care providers should monitor patients with kidney disease, diabetic retinopathy and depression or suicidal behaviors or thoughts.
Zepbound received Priority Review and Fast Track designations for this indication.
The FDA granted this approval to Eli Lilly and Co.
Source: FDA
Injection
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Sometimes health care professionals use medications in a way that’s different from what the FDA has approved. That’s called “off-label” use. By choosing an off-label medication to treat overweight and obesity, your health care professional may prescribe
You should feel comfortable asking whether your health care professional is prescribing a medication that is not approved for treating overweight and obesity. Before using a medication, learn all you need to know about it.
Source: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
Antibiotics, gut microbiome, and childhood obesity, what’s the link?
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Researchers are currently studying several new medications and combinations of medications in animals and people. Researchers are working to identify safer and more effective medications to help people who are overweight or have obesity lose weight and maintain a healthy weight for a long time.
Future drugs may use new strategies, such as
Source: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
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