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Ask us your physical activity question. Print Feedback Email a link. Content Map Terms. Weight-Loss Medicines. Medications Immunization, Inactivated influenza Anthrax Vaccine Diphtheria, Pertussis, and Tetanus Vaccines Haemophilus Influenzae Type B Hib Vaccine Hepatitis A Vaccine Hepatitis B Vaccine Herpes-Zoster Vaccine for Shingles Human Papillomavirus HPV Vaccine Measles, Mumps, and Rubella Vaccine Meningococcal Vaccine Pneumococcal Vaccines Polio Vaccine Rotavirus Vaccine Varicella-Zoster Vaccine for Chickenpox Weight-Loss Medicines Non-Prescription Products for Weight Loss Obesity: Should I Take Weight-Loss Medicine?

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Topic Contents About This Medicine Related Information References Credits. About This Medicine Make sure you know about each of the medicines you take. What are some examples? It may help you avoid overeating. Liraglutide Saxenda : You take this medicine as a shot once a day.

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Request Appointment. Healthy Lifestyle Weight loss. Sections Basics Weight-loss basics Diet plans The Mayo Clinic Diet Diet and exercise Diet pills, supplements and surgery In-Depth Expert Answers Multimedia Resources News From Mayo Clinic What's New.

Products and services. Alli weight-loss pill: Does it work? By Mayo Clinic Staff. Thank you for subscribing! Sorry something went wrong with your subscription Please, try again in a couple of minutes Retry.

Show references Frequently asked questions Alli. Accessed Feb. IBM Micromedex. Orlistat oral. Perreault L. Obesity in adults: Drug therapy. Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: Interventions for the treatment of overweight and obesity in adults.

Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Khera R, et al. Association of pharmacological treatments for obesity with weight loss and adverse events: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

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ART Healthy Lifestyle Weight loss In-Depth Alli weight loss pill Does it work. Show the heart some love! Medical research has spent decades trying to develop a medication to help with weight loss, though most early attempts were met with failure.

An early candidate, Dinitrophenol, resulted in a spate of deaths before being taken off the market. Amphetamines, also popular for a while as a weight loss treatment, met a similar fate.

What surprises many people is that Health Canada-approved weight loss medications actually do exist, but they are not widely prescribed for a variety of reasons, including side effects and relatively modest benefits.

The tide, however, is beginning to turn. The one obesity medication that does seem to have a rather substantial benefit is liraglutide. Though initially designed as a diabetes medication, it has been shown to help with weight loss even in people who do not have diabetes, when combined with changes in diet and exercise.

Liraglutide belongs to a class of medications called GLP-1 receptor agonists. They have two main drawbacks that have limited their widespread use. One is cost. The other is that they are injectable medications and patients in North America are reluctant to contemplate anything involving needles and daily injections.

At least one of those issues has been at least partially overcome by some of the newer medications in that drug class, like semaglutide. As a weekly rather than daily injection, semaglutide is more convenient. It is also highly effective, with an average weight loss of just under 30 pounds in the week STEP-1 trial.

When it was compared head-to-head against liraglutide in the STEP-8 trial, semaglutide outperformed its chemical cousin in terms of weight loss and demonstrated that it is more effective and more convenient to administer. Not to be outdone, a newer GLP-1 receptor agonist called tirzepatide seems to be raising the bar again.

Also a weekly injection, it outperformed semaglutide last year in diabetic patients in the SURPASS-2 trial. But the exciting news is the preliminary results of the SURMOUNT-1 trial suggesting that even in patients without diabetes, it resulted in a remarkable average weight loss of 52 pounds over 72 weeks.

Obesity: Should I Take Weight-Loss Medicine? Get the facts. Your options Take weight-loss medicine, along with trying to eat healthy foods and being active. Try to lose weight without weight-loss medicines by eating healthy foods and being active. Key points to remember Being very overweight makes you more likely to have serious health problems, such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Weight-loss medicines may be an option if you haven't been able to lose weight with lifestyle changes, such as healthy eating and exercise, and if: Your BMI body mass index is at least Your BMI is at least 27 and you also have another health problem related to your weight, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol.

Medicine may help you lose a small amount of weight. But without permanent changes in eating and exercise habits, most people gain weight again after they stop taking the medicine.

You must decide if the benefit of taking a certain medicine outweighs its side effects. Side effects of weight-loss medicines may include headaches, nausea, and bowel problems. Weight-loss medicines can be expensive. They may not be covered by your health plan.

It is important to talk with your doctor about how much weight you expect to lose and how long you would need to take the medicine. What are weight-loss medicines? These prescription medicines include: Orlistat Xenical. This drug prevents some of the fat calories you eat from being absorbed in your intestines.

This medicine may reduce your appetite and help you avoid overeating. Liraglutide Saxenda. This medicine may help you eat less. It's given as a shot once a day.

This medicine may reduce your appetite. It may help you avoid overeating. How well do weight-loss medicines work? What are the risks and side effects of some weight-loss medicines? Each medicine also has its own side effects. Here are a few examples: Orlistat Xenical can cause changes in bowel habits.

These may include oily or fatty stool and being unable to control bowel movements. Liraglutide Saxenda may cause low blood sugar hypoglycemia in people who have diabetes. In anyone, it may cause stomach pain and upset. It also can make the heart beat faster.

Cases of inflammation of the pancreas acute pancreatitis have been reported. Why might your doctor recommend weight-loss medicine? Your doctor may recommend weight-loss medicine if: Your BMI is at least Your BMI is at least 27 and you have other problems related to your weight, such as: High blood pressure.

High cholesterol. Type 2 diabetes. You have tried for some time to lose weight with diet and physical activity. You don't have untreated depression or another major mental illness, and you don't misuse alcohol. Compare your options. Compare Option 1 Take weight-loss medicines Use only diet and exercise to lose weight.

Compare Option 2 Take weight-loss medicines Use only diet and exercise to lose weight. Take weight-loss medicines Take weight-loss medicines Depending on the type of drug, you take a pill 1 to 3 times a day or get a shot once a day.

You also try to make lasting changes in your diet and physical activity level. Weight-loss medicines can help you lose a small amount of weight. The weight loss that you see right away can motivate you to continue your healthy eating and exercising after the medicine is stopped.

If you lose weight, you may be less likely to have related health problems, including heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Possible side effects include: Increased blood pressure. Sleep problems.

Unpleasant changes in bowel habits. Unless you make long-term changes in your eating and exercise habits, you are likely to gain back the weight after you stop taking the medicine. Use only diet and exercise to lose weight Use only diet and exercise to lose weight You try to make lasting changes in your diet and physical activity.

Eating fewer calories while being more active may help you lose weight. You avoid the risks and side effects of taking weight-loss medicines. You avoid the cost of taking medicine.

If you aren't able to lose weight using diet and exercise, you're more likely to have related health problems. These may include heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Personal stories about using medicine for obesity These stories are based on information gathered from health professionals and consumers.

What matters most to you? Reasons to take weight-loss medicine Reasons not to take weight-loss medicine. I am desperate to lose weight, and I think medicine will help me. I don't like the idea of taking medicine.

I'm not worried about the cost of medicine. I don't think I can afford the cost of medicine. My other important reasons: My other important reasons:.

Where are you leaning now? Taking weight-loss medicine NOT taking weight-loss medicine. What else do you need to make your decision? Check the facts. True No, that's wrong. Medicine will probably help you lose just a small amount of weight.

And unless you make permanent changes in your eating and exercise habits, you will likely gain back the weight after you stop taking the medicine. False You're right. I'm not sure It may help to go back and read "Get the Facts.

And without permanent lifestyle changes, you will likely regain the weight after you stop taking the medicine. True That's right. Side effects of weight-loss medicines include headaches, nausea, bowel problems, and increased blood pressure.

Some people stop taking the medicine because the side effects are too unpleasant. False Sorry, that's wrong. Decide what's next. Yes No. I'm ready to take action. I want to discuss the options with others. I want to learn more about my options.

Your Summary. Your decision Next steps. Your knowledge of the facts Key concepts that you understood. Key concepts that may need review. Getting ready to act Patient choices. What matters to you.

Print Summary. Credits and References Credits. Klein S, et al. Weight-loss drugs can be expensive and aren't always paid for by insurance. Ask your insurance company about your coverage. Many people gain back some of the weight they lost when they stop taking weight-loss drugs.

But practicing healthy lifestyle habits may help limit weight gain. How long you take a weight-loss drug depends on whether the drug helps you lose weight. If you've lost enough weight to improve your health and you haven't had serious side effects, your health care provider may suggest that you take the drug long term.

They may switch you to a different weight-loss drug. Six weight-loss drugs have been approved by the U. Food and Drug Administration FDA for long-term use:. Most prescription weight-loss drugs work by making you feel less hungry or fuller.

Some do both. The exception is orlistat. It affects the way your body absorbs fat. Bupropion-naltrexone is a combination drug. Naltrexone is used to treat alcohol and opioid addiction. Bupropion is a drug to treat depression, called an antidepressant, and a drug to help people stop smoking, called a quit-smoking aid.

Like all antidepressants, bupropion carries a warning about suicide risk. Bupropion-naltrexone can raise blood pressure. So your provider will need to check your blood pressure regularly at the start of treatment. Common side effects include nausea, headache and constipation.

Liraglutide also is used to manage diabetes. It's given as a daily shot. Nausea is a common complaint. Vomiting may limit its use. You also can get orlistat in a reduced-strength form without a prescription Alli. Orlistat can cause side effects such as passing gas and having loose stools.

You need to follow a low-fat diet when taking this medicine. In rare cases, people have had serious liver injury with orlistat. But researchers haven't found that the drug causes liver injuries.

Phentermine-topiramate is a combination of a weight-loss drug called phentermine and an anticonvulsant called topiramate. Phentermine has the potential to be misused because it acts like a stimulant drug called an amphetamine. Other possible side effects include an increase in heart rate and blood pressure, insomnia, constipation, and nervousness.

Topiramate increases the risk of birth defects. Phentermine by itself Adipex-P, Lomaira also is used for weight loss. It's one of four similar weight-loss drugs approved for use for less than 12 weeks, called short-term use.

The other drugs in this group aren't often prescribed. Semaglutide also is used to help control type 2 diabetes. You take it as a weekly shot to manage obesity.

The FDA has approved setmelanotide only for people age 6 and older who have obesity due to one of these rare inherited conditions:. To take the drug, you'll need to have test results that show you have one of these conditions. Setmelanotide doesn't treat any of the gene problems that cause these conditions.

But it can help you lose weight. It can lessen your appetite and make you feel fuller. And it may help you burn calories while your body is at rest. Never give setmelanotide to a child under 6 years old. It can cause newborns and babies to have dangerous reactions.

Weight-loss drugs aren't an easy answer to weight loss. But they may help you make the lifestyle changes that you need to practice to lose weight and improve your health. There is a problem with information submitted for this request. Sign up for free and stay up to date on research advancements, health tips, current health topics, and expertise on managing health.

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Appointments at Mayo Clinic Mayo Clinic offers appointments in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota and at Mayo Clinic Health System locations. Request Appointment. Healthy Lifestyle Weight loss. Sections Basics Weight-loss basics Diet plans The Mayo Clinic Diet Diet and exercise Diet pills, supplements and surgery In-Depth Expert Answers Multimedia Resources News From Mayo Clinic What's New.

Products and services. Prescription weight-loss drugs Study the pros and cons of medicines to treat obesity. By Mayo Clinic Staff. Thank you for subscribing! Sorry something went wrong with your subscription Please, try again in a couple of minutes Retry.

Show references AskMayoExpert. Weight management adult. Mayo Clinic; Obesity adult. Pilitsi E, et al. Pharmacotherapy of obesity: Available medications and drugs under investigation. Perreault L.