Medications to assist with weight loss, weight control or weight gain should not be considered lightly. There have been tragedies associated with medications taken to assist with weight loss. It is wrong to assume that just because something is sold without a medical prescription or ‘over the counter' that it is safe or harmless.
Medications or drugs that are sold as supplements may not have been subject to any review by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In fact, over the counter products probably have not been reviewed and have not been required to submit their clinical or scientific results for any type of serious scrutiny. So, the user should certainly be aware of the side effects and potential for harm.
The world of prescription medications is very different. All the products that are available by prescription do indeed have to show the ‘science' of the medication. Unfortunately, even prescription drugs can be used incorrectly, over dosed, or used in combination with other drugs. Sometimes there are drug to drug interactions discovered between two medications that were not identified during the process of the safety and efficacy clearance by the pharmaceutical company. When this occurs there is usually a product recall/removal or national campaign to make the public aware of the potential dangers of mixing the two types of medications. One can begin to see that taking medications of either type, over the counter or prescription, should not be considered lightly. Taking medications of any kind is associated with risks.
In short, taking medications should be supervised by a physician, or allied health care professional.
One of the problems with Americans keeping a healthy weight is that most of us are lazy and do not want to work at being healthy, exercising or eating correctly. We are a country on convenience and it is easier for someone who is overweight to first try and take a pill to make their weight problem go away. This thought process is flawed because for those without medical conditions contributing to their weight problem, the weight problem can not be fixed with just a pill. Taking pills as a first line of correction is wrong and these people are trying to treat the symptom and not the cause of the weight problem. The priority should be to first identify why there is a weight problem and then organize a multifaceted approach to treat the weight problem. A physician or allied health professional is the best way to actively start a new diet and exercise program. If it is determined that a medication should be included in the overall weight loss plan, then at least the person will know what the options are. Weight Awareness is designed to educate, and inform the public and is not meant or intended to replace a professional opinion.
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