Edward Abramson, PhD

For those who’re interested by Ozempic, Wegovy (semaglutide), or Mounjaro and newly accepted Zepbound (tirzepatide), it is easy to miss older drugs and packages to deal with weight problems.

Along with semaglutide and tirzepatide, 4 older drugs are accepted by the Meals and Drug Administration (FDA) for weight reduction. Though they do not produce as a lot weight reduction, you would possibly take into account them since they’re inexpensive and do not require weekly injections.

I will briefly describe the entire drugs and the typical weight reduction they produce. I will examine the outcomes to behavioral packages like Weight Watchers and Noom.

The medicine that produces probably the most weight reduction is Zepbound. One research discovered that after 72 weeks, the typical weight reduction was 21 % of physique weight. That approaches the outcomes from bariatric surgical procedures, which generally lead to 25 to 30 % weight reduction after one yr. Wegovy is sort of as efficient as Zepbound, with a 14.9 % weight reduction at 68 weeks. I’ve mentioned among the execs and cons of those drugs in an earlier put up.

Older drugs which might be administered orally might produce important however much less dramatic weight reduction.¹

• Qsymia is a mixture of phentermine, an urge for food suppressant, and topiramate, an antiepileptic that reduces urge for food. A 56-week follow-up discovered a ten.9 % weight reduction.
• Contrave, a mixture of naltrexone, an opiate antagonist, and bupropion, an antidepressant, was discovered to provide a 6 % weight reduction after 56 weeks.
• Xenical (orlistat) decreases the absorption of fat however steadily has destructive gastrointestinal results (flatulence, diarrhea). The imply weight reduction is between 2.8 to 4.8 % of physique weight. Alli is an over-the-counter medicine that could be a decrease dose of orlistat.
• Phentermine (Adipex-P, Lomaira) is a stimulant that suppresses urge for food. It is FDA-approved for short-term (12 weeks) use. It’s the least costly and most generally used anti-obesity medicine. Regardless of the FDA warning, phentermine is usually prescribed for greater than 12 weeks. It should not be utilized by sufferers with a historical past of hypertension, glaucoma, coronary heart illness, or substance abuse. After 28 weeks, the typical weight reduction is 4.4 % of physique weight.

In comparison with these drugs, a typical behavioral intervention lasting six months, which incorporates self-monitoring, dietary counseling, and bodily exercise suggestions, usually ends in a 5 to 10 % weight reduction. For instance, Weight Watchers individuals common 5.9 % weight reduction after 12 months. Noom, a web based behavioral way of life intervention program, averages a 5.2 % weight reduction.

Understand that for all drugs, surgical procedures, and behavioral or on-line packages, you will most likely regain some weight after going off the medicine or program. Sadly, there is no long-term magic, however growing bodily exercise can assist reduce regaining weight.