Is it for me?

Drug therapy may be helpful for some obese patients, especially when used in combination with diet, exercise and behaviour modification. The decision to start drug therapy should be made with your doctor only after careful evaluation of the risks and benefits.

Anti-obesity drugs should only be considered if 3 months of managed care, involving supervised diet, activity and behaviour modification fails to achieve a realistic reduction in weight in those who:

• Are obese (a BMI of 30 kg m² or greater); OR;
• Are overweight (a BMI of between 27 and 30 kg m²) and who have other medical problems such as diabetes, coronary heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure or obstructive sleep apnoea that further increase their risk of heart disease.

To calculate your own BMI, use our BMI Calculator.

It is important that each individual undergoing drug therapy is monitored regularly. Drug therapy should be discontinued if weight loss is less than 5% after 3 months or if the individual regains weight at any time whilst receiving drug treatment.

What Drugs are Available?

The main drug available for treating obesity is Xenical (Orlistat). As with all treatments, it's very important that you discussion the options with your doctor before making any decisions. However, if you would like any further information on this drug, do contact us and we'll be happy to help.

Xenical

Orlistat (Xenical) is a drug that reduces the absorption of dietary fat and helps some obese patients lose weight. NICE (National Institute for Clinical Excellence) have recommended that treatment with Orlistat should only be continued beyond 6 months if at least 10% weight has been lost since the beginning of treatment.

Some of the (positive and negative) effects of Orlistat are:

• cholesterol levels often improve
• In diabetics, Orlistat can help blood sugar control
• Blood pressure sometimes falls
• Stomach cramps, wind, oily leakage from the rectum, liquid or oily stools, faecal incontinence and diarrhoea - however these symptoms are usually mild and get better after the first few weeks of treatment.

Reductil (Withdrawn)

The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency has told doctors to stop prescribing Sibutramine (Reductil) and review its use in patients already taking it. More information can be found on the BBC News website at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8473555.stm and on the European Medicine Agency website at http://www.ema.europa.eu/pdfs/human/referral/sibutramine/3940810en.pdf.