Medicines for weight loss( pills and other drugs) - Causes, symptoms and treatment. MF.
Obesity is a chronic disease characterized by excessive accumulation of adipose tissue. At the heart of the disease is a progressive metabolic disorder. Cosmetic problems are only the tip of the iceberg for obesity. Very often serious health problems are observed: diabetes mellitus type 2, hypothyroidism, hypertension, joint and spinal problems, infertility. To avoid serious consequences, you should carefully treat the disease and seek medical help from specialists. The main methods of treating obesity are the following today: selecting an adequate diet, training in special groups, encouraging physical activity, psychological support, surgical treatment and pharmacological preparations. Let's take a closer look at drug therapy.
As any medicine and dietary supplements, the means for losing weight should not be taken uncontrollably. Self-medication can be dangerous. Preparations for the treatment of obesity seriously interfere with the metabolism and have many contraindications and side effects. They can be used only after examination by a doctor and under strict control of a number of indicators. Even if you use not a medicine, but a biologically active additive to food, side effects are possible. Such supplements can be used on their own, if there are no chronic diseases, but only for a short time( up to 1-3 months).If you have heart disease, blood vessels, gastrointestinal tract, diabetes mellitus, and if your age is over 40 years old, then before the use of any drug you need to undergo examination with a doctor of a therapist or an endocrinologist. Usually it is enough to pass blood tests( clinical and biochemical), urine, to make an electrocardiogram. Many biologically active supplements contain laxatives and diuretics, caffeine in large doses. The use of such substances can lead to serious consequences for weakened and especially sensitive patients: sleep disorders, cardiac disruptions, lowering of pressure or hypertensive crisis, dehydration and so on.
Medicines for weight loss
There are few drugs that have proven their effectiveness, officially only two such drugs are used in Russia: sibutramine and orlistat .
As for most of the products that can be bought in a pharmacy without a prescription, they are biologically active additives and their effectiveness in terms of weight loss is not confirmed by serious research. The effect of such funds is usually small and short-lived. Many experts believe that the positive effect of dietary supplements can be associated with the psychological effect of placebo. When a patient starts taking medications, he will be more likely to adjust to a diet and observe a regime of physical activity. The diuretic and laxative components of such supplements, of course, affect the body weight, but they do not affect the metabolism and the amount of adipose tissue, and therefore, the treatment of obesity has only an indirect relationship. Lost pounds quickly return again.
The greatest confidence from all additives is caused by cellulose and preparations based on it .Fiber mechanically reduces the volume of the stomach, helps to feel satiety, even from small portions of food. And this in turn helps to maintain a diet and lose weight. However, no dietary supplements are considered to be a serious anti-obesity agent and are not included in approved treatment standards.
These drugs for obesity are sold in pharmacies according to prescriptions. The doctor will prescribe such a drug if diet and exercise are not effective and only with a body mass index of more than 27 kg / m².The body mass index( Quetelet index) is calculated by a special formula( weight in kilograms divided by height in meters, squared).The norm is the index of 18.5 to 25 kg / m².So in humans, the growth of 1 meter 70 centimeters and weighing 60 kilograms, body mass index is 60 / 1,7?, That is 20.76 kg / m².The index from 25 to 30 shows the presence of excess body weight, and above - the presence of obesity. And by the severity of the process, obesity is distinguished first, second and third degree.
Treatment of any degree of obesity begins with the appointment of a diet and adequate physical activity. The main thing is that people spend more calories than they get with food. It is important to reduce the intake of animal fats and simple carbohydrates.
The indication for initiating drug therapy is the absence of a decrease in body weight by more than 5% in 3 months or 10% in half a year of non-drug treatment with a body mass index of more than 30 kg / m².Or the presence of diabetes, arterial hypertension, polycystic ovary, infertility, abdominal obesity in combination with a body mass index of more than 27 kg / m² and ineffectiveness of therapy only diet. Currently, in clinical practice, drugs orlistat and sibutramine are used. The use of certain other medicinal products has been scientifically justified, but they have not yet been fully tested and have not received approval from inspection organizations. One of the most promising drugs in this respect is liraglutide, which is still used only for the treatment of diabetes.
Most often for the treatment of obesity doctors prescribe sibutramine .This drug is prohibited in several countries, which is associated with an increased risk of death from cardiovascular events( stroke, heart attack) and suicide in taking the drug. In Russia, the original drug( Meridia) is not sold, but it is quite possible to buy analogues( Reduxin, Goldline).The action of the medicine is central. The drug reduces the re-uptake of serotonin( "the hormone of happiness"), thereby increasing its concentration in the brain. As a result, the appetite decreases, the saturation is faster, the patient ceases to overeat and "seize" stress. Sibutramine is administered orally, regardless of food intake at an initial dose of 10 mg per day. In addition to reducing appetite, this medication increases the metabolic rate, increases heat production. Strong effect of the drug has during the first months of use, then the appetite may return. Sibutramine should be preferred in case of bulimia and a slow onset of satiety. This drug in any case can not be taken on the advice of friends, or under the influence of advertising, the Internet - the risk of complications is too high. It should be noted that the drug ReduxinLight does not contain sibutramine and refers to biologically active additives to food.
Orlistat( Xenical) is another registered in Russia drug for the treatment of obesity. It is preferred when combined with overweight and hypertension. Orlistat is prescribed inside before or during main meals for 120 mg 3 times a day, not more than 2 years. The advantage of the drug is that it acts only in the intestines and does not have any systemic effect. So, there is no risk for the heart, blood vessels, mental processes like sibutramine. The action of orlistat is that it reduces the activity of enzymes that break down fat in the lumen of the intestine. As a result, most of the fat that comes with food is excreted, not digested. Fat is very rich in calories( more than carbohydrates and proteins), so the body "loses" a lot of energy. So, the stored fat tissue starts to be spent, and the person grows thin. Orlistat does not cancel the diet. On the contrary, you can not overeat fat - diarrhea can develop. Caloric content of food should be low. Prolonged constant intake of orlistat leads to hypovitaminosis of fat-soluble vitamins( A, D, E).Such complication can appear not earlier, than through 1,5-2 years of constant reception of a preparation. The plus of orlistat is that it must be drunk only before taking fatty foods. If food intake is missed or the food does not contain fat, then orlistat should not be taken. Sometimes patients take the medicine sporadically - just before the feast on holidays or with a single violation of the diet. Orlistat almost does not help those who overeat carbohydrates. Sugar, marmalade, zephyr are absorbed and when taking the drug. The same applies to bread, pasta, potatoes.
Myths about drugs for weight loss
So, the myth is the statement that some drug will help you lose weight without diet. Whatever we say - about a proven drug or biologically active food additive - a diet is an integral part of the treatment and should always accompany the medication. It is also important to distinguish between drugs and food additives. The latter can be bought without a prescription, but in the fight against obesity their action is very doubtful.
Another myth that only drugs for weight loss contribute to weight loss, and any others only harm, especially hormonal. This is not true. With many endocrine disorders, adequate treatment of the disease helps to normalize weight even without the use of diet pills.
Unfortunately, obesity rarely becomes the reason for seeking medical help. Someone does not consider excess weight a big problem, someone prefers to fight on their own. But only an endocrinologist or therapist will be able to diagnose obesity, exclude its secondary form( as a symptom of other diseases), identify complications of the disease, set realistic goals of treatment. Only a qualified specialist can help to understand a huge amount of information about the excess weight, which are saturated with the Internet and printed publications. The doctor will help to choose an adequate diet and medication. It is also important to be regularly observed and examined during the entire treatment process in order to correct the therapy in time and to eliminate any side effects.
Correctly selected treatment of obesity will achieve the ideal weight and the main thing is to keep the result for many years. If you adhere to all the recommendations of the doctor and go seriously to lifestyle changes, then the body weight will decrease gradually - an average of 0.5-1 kilograms per week, which will lose weight in a few months by 8-10%.Such a loss of body weight already has a positive effect on metabolism and helps to maintain health.
Physician endocrinologist Tsvetkova IG