While healthy eating and regular exercise form the cornerstone of any weight loss plan, some people need an extra boost. Certain prescription medications and procedures can aid in weight loss. Your doctor can go over your options and determine if any of these might benefit you.

Role of Medications

While medications can assist someone having trouble with just diet and exercise, you cannot expect medications to replace them. Doctors give medications as a complement to lifestyle changes and behavior modification. These medications do not work for everyone, and many gain the weight back once they stop taking them.

When to Consider Medication

Medication can help people who have not seen results from other dieting strategies. You might also consider medication if your BMI (body mass index) is over 27 and you suffer from obesity-related problems like diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure or sleep apnea.

Medications

Currently, two FDA-approved medications can treat obesity. Meridia alters your brain chemistry so that you have a decreased appetite and you become full more quickly. Xenical keeps your body from digesting and absorbing fat. Either of these medications can reduce your weight by five to 10 percent after taking them for one year. You can also buy Alli---a weaker version of Xenical---over the counter.

Bariatric Surgeries

Bariatric surgeries can produce dramatic weight loss but carry many serious risks. This might be an option if you have a BMI over 40 or a BMI of 35 to 39 and have obesity-related problems like high blood pressure and diabetes. Gastric bypass surgery reduces the amount of food your stomach can handle and inhibits calorie absorption. Laparascopic adjustable gastric banding reduces the size of your stomach. The former procedure can produce rapid weight loss while the latter produces slower, steady results. For those with a BMI over 50, you might undergo biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch, which removes a large portion of your stomach.

Considerations

While these procedures can offer dramatic weight loss, the Mayo Clinic stresses the importance of healthy eating and exercise to achieve optimal results. Without them, you are likely to regain the weight. They also carry serious risks like blood clots, infection, pneumonia and even death.

Source:

The Mayo Clinic