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| Medication |
There are two drugs available on prescription for people who are
obese (usually with a BMI of 30 and over) and they work by helping you to eat differently. You have
to lose 2.5 kg / 5lbs of weight on your own, before they can be prescribed. The guidelines say they
can only be prescribed for up to a year. Like simple diets, they will not keep the weight off after
you stop taking them, unless you make long-term changes in your behaviour.
Xenical (Orlistat)
Xenical stops your body from absorbing fat. You have to follow a low-fat diet or it has unpleasant
side effects, including diarrhoea and nausea. It therefore works mainly by forcing you to eat a low
fat diet.
Reductil (Sibutramine)
Reductil makes you feel full more quickly and thereby satisfied with a smaller meal. It can help you
lose weight, but you will have to eat sensibly while taking it and afterwards or you will put the
weight back on again.
New developments
You may have read in the papers about the 'fat jab' and about a new drug that may help people lose
weight without changing their diet. Both of these stories relate to early stages of research.
Clinical trials are necessary if either of these treatments are to become available and as yet
trials are not underway.
If clinical trials do go ahead, and if they are successful, these treatments will still not be
available for prescription for a number of years.
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