Articles
Prescription weight-loss drugs
Common weight-loss drugs
Safety of weight-loss drugs
Factors to consider
What drugs are approved in the U.S. for weight loss?
Who is a candidate for weight-loss drugs?
How long does drug therapy last?
The bottom line
Content
Who can take weight-loss drugs?
How well do weight-loss drugs work?
What you should know about weight-loss drugs
How long do I take a weight-loss drug?
What drugs are approved for weight loss?
Bupropion-naltrexone (Contrave)
Liraglutide (Saxenda)
Orlistat (Xenical)
Phentermine-topiramate (Qsymia)
Semaglutide (Wegovy)
Tirzepatide (Zepbound)
Other weight-loss drugs
Medicines not approved by the FDA
Are weight-loss drugs right for you?
Safety of weight-loss drugs
Factors to consider
What drugs are approved in the U.S. for weight loss?
Who is a candidate for weight-loss drugs?
How long does drug therapy last?
The bottom line
Content
Who can take weight-loss drugs?
How well do weight-loss drugs work?
What you should know about weight-loss drugs
How long do I take a weight-loss drug?
What drugs are approved for weight loss?
Bupropion-naltrexone (Contrave)
Liraglutide (Saxenda)
Orlistat (Xenical)
Phentermine-topiramate (Qsymia)
Semaglutide (Wegovy)
Tirzepatide (Zepbound)
Other weight-loss drugs
Medicines not approved by the FDA
Are weight-loss drugs right for you?
How well do weight-loss drugs work?
Prescription weight-loss drugs that you can use for more than 12 weeks lead to major weight loss compared with treatment that has no active medicine, called a placebo. Weight-loss medicine and lifestyle changes lead to greater weight loss than lifestyle changes alone.
Taking these medicines for a year can mean a loss of total body weight of 3% to 18% more than that lost with lifestyle changes alone. That may not seem like a lot. But losing 5% to 10% of your weight and keeping it off can help you. That amount of weight loss can lower blood pressure, blood sugar levels and levels of fats in the blood called triglycerides.
