Few Obese People Use Approved Weight Loss Drugs – Newsmax

Despite the growing problem of obesity, few people are opting for approved weight loss drugs, a new study suggests.

More than a third of adults in the U.S. have obesity.  Lifestyle change, like diet and exercise, produce modest weight loss, and, while surgery is effective, there are drawbacks. On the other hand, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved weight loss medication that can be effective, and agency guidelines suggest that obese patients and their doctors should consider their use when appropriate.

In a review of the records from more than two million eligible patients, Colorado researchers discovered that only 1.02 percent received FDA-approved weight loss medication. The most commonly prescribed medication was phentermine, which is generic and inexpensive, but only approved for three months of use.

They also discovered that a small number of providers write a vast majority of the prescriptions for weigh loss medications. “It seems that despite the broad realization that obesity is a problem and that there are available FDA approved medications, few patients use this treatment option,” says lead author Dr. Daniel Bessesen, chief of endocrinology at the University of Colorado and Denver Health Medical Center.

In diseases like high blood pressure and diabetes, the use of medications is standard practice, so more needs to be done to learn why these approved drugs aren’t being used for weight loss, he added of the study’s findings, which were presented at ENDO 2016, the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society, in Boston.

© 2016 NewsmaxHealth. All rights reserved.