Research suggests that many doctors may not fully understand the effectiveness of obesity drugs, often overestimating their potential to help patients lose weight.
Current weight-loss medications like Qsymia, Belviq, Saxenda, and Contrave come with significant risks and high costs. Some drugs have been rejected in Europe due to concerns about long-term effects on the heart and blood vessels, yet remain available in the United States.
Some of these medications have serious potential side effects and can be very expensive, such as Belviq costing around $200 a month and Saxenda at over $1,200 for a 30-day supply.
In addition, weight loss from these drugs rarely exceeds nine pounds, and the weight tends to return when usage is discontinued. This, combined with the disagreeable side effects, leads most users to stop taking the drugs within the first year.Studies also show that many doctors seem to misunderstand the capabilities of these drugs, possibly due to some clinical guidelines that advocate their use, despite their questionable safety and efficacy.
For more on the safety of weight loss pills, check out my related video, “Are Weight Loss Pills Safe?”.
As with any lifestyle disease, it’s better to address the root cause, which in the case of obesity, is a high-calorie diet. To see the potential of a healthy diet intervention, watch my video “The Weight Loss Program That Got Better with Time”
Check out the related videos below for more on weight loss.
