Current management of
obesity includes three main arms: behavioral modification, pharmacologic
therapy, and
bariatric surgery. Decades prior, the only pharmacological agents available to treat
obesity were approved only for short-term use (≤12 weeks) by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). However, in the last several years, the FDA has approved several medications for longer term treatment of
obesity. This highlights the important progression that we, as a society, better appreciate now the chronicity and complexity of
obesity as a disease. Also, availability of more medication options gives healthcare providers more possibilities to consider in the management of
obesity. Medications for
obesity can be simply categorized as FDA approved short-term use (diethylproprion,
phendimetrazine,
benzphetamine, and
phentermine) and long-term use (
orlistat,
phentermine/
topiramate ER,
lorcaserin,
naltrexone/
bupropion ER and
liraglutide). Additionally,
type 2 diabetes (T2DM) is commonly seen in patients with
obesity and necessitates consideration of pharmacological options that do not hinder patients'
weight loss. Finally, weight-centric prescribing is also an important component to pharmacological management of
obesity. It warrants that healthcare providers thoroughly review their patients' medication lists to determine if any of these agents could be contributing to
weight gain.