How To Ask Your Doctor for Weight Loss Pills?

Weight loss is hard. We won’t deny that. Harder still when the number you need to lose to come down to a healthy BMR is on the higher side. The best approach to weight loss has always been and will remain a proper and healthy diet and intense workouts. Nothing can replace that approach because that’s the only thing that ensures proper fat loss, with shrunk fat cells, and a healthy internal system. 

But not everyone has that luxury, unfortunately. It could be due to some emergency of physical inability or issues that some people are simply unable to employ the usual and best methods like dieting and working out to lose the excess fat. 

And for them, weight loss pills are nothing short of a miracle. There are many ways weight loss pills can be helpful for those who are in need of losing weight as soon as possible. But, contrary to the misinformation surrounding them, weight loss pills aren’t some magical cure for all your obesity woes. Most of them work by suppressing your hunger and curbing your appetite.

So let’s talk about all of it in detail. 

How do weight loss pills work?

Weight loss pills work by attacking your appetite as soon as they enter the bloodstream. After the first few pills, it’s very possible that you will begin feeling a change in your hunger levels. Those random hunger pangs will decrease drastically. 

You might also feel less excited at the thought of your favorite (and let’s face it, mostly greasy) foods simply because the pills will maintain a feeling of fullness throughout the day. This will lead to a significant reduction in overeating, which is the most common reason behind weight gain. 

Some weight loss pills also affect the fat cells. Without changing your appetite, they attack the fat cells and begin dissolving them from the inside. This is probably a better way rather than unnaturally curbing your hunger, which may often lead to deficiencies in your body.

Do you qualify for weight loss pills?

Weight loss pills are generally prescribed as a last resort by any doctor or physician. And a good thing too because taking such large amounts of pills can affect the efficiency of your internal organs, especially the liver. 

So the first thing your doctor might do is evaluate your history, with weight loss, dieting, and even workouts. He would want to know everything and make sure that you aren’t just trying to seek the easy way out of obesity by just popping in some pills and avoiding the physical labor that comes with working out and restricting your diet. 

And if, after doing all of the above, your BMI still doesn’t budge from 27 – 30, then he might finally consider weight loss pills as an option. This is a very important step – the evaluation of your medical history because it helps the doctor to draw up the best weight-loss plan and prescription for you. 

So, don’t leave out any information when you are conversing with your doctor about it. 

How to ask your doctor for weight loss pills?

Bringing up the issue of weight, even to your doctor, can seem like a daunting task, especially if you are severely overweight and have always struggled to talk about it. But you must try to be as open and honest about it as you can because that’s the only way to ensure a proper examination.

When it comes to the prescription of weight loss pills, your doctor will probably do a routine checkup, and assess the functionality of the internal organs. Then he will record your weight and ask you questions about your history with weight loss issues; when you first began gaining weight; are there any underlying issues? etc. 

Prepare beforehand

So since there are going to be a lot of questions from the doctor’s side and, quite possibly, your own too, you should prepare for your visit beforehand by writing all the questions down. Also mention all the drugs you have been taking and why. Don’t leave out any details and carry the list along with you on the date of your appointment. 

Conversation Starters

Since this is an embarrassing topic for most, you don’t have to come straight to the point if you don’t feel comfortable about it and want to take your time. Instead, you can try to hint at the subject like ”My weight has become an issue for me lately.” and see how he responds. 

Get the conversation going like that and then arrive at your question about weight loss pills and ask him if they would work in your situation. 

Establish Your Goals

When it comes to weight (much like everything else in life, really) slow and steady is the best approach. The promise of a few pills working their ‘magic’ inside your body and burning the fat might tempt you to go faster and speed the process up but you really don’t want that, believe us because the weight loss won’t be sustainable at all. 

So, whatever goal your doctor sets for you, stick to that. In the beginning, it might seem a minuscule number but it’s better to lose the extra fat slowly but surely than to lose it all at once and get it back within the span of a few short weeks. 

Some Common Weight Loss Pills

When it comes to weight loss pills, the drug market is full of them. Some target your fat cells while others help you squeeze all the water weight out of your body. Yet others are given specifically to curb your appetite. And your doctor will assess the best ones for you, after evaluating your medical history. 

Still, it’s better to know a bit about a few pills that are commonly used before your doctor’s visit. Then, if you have any questions about these, you can at least ask your doctor for clarification. 

Semaglutide (Wegovy)

When it comes to weight loss, your appetite is the one thing that seems to stand stubbornly in the way. And the most recently FDA-approved weight loss pill, Semaglutide, works to curb your hunger by stimulating your insulin levels, bringing them down to normal, and imitating the hormones present in your intestines to help you feel less hungry throughout the day. 

But the pill does not come without its evils. One of the most dangerous side effects or catch is that once you begin taking it,  it’s going to be a life-long prescription ecause people seem to gain all the weight back after laying off the pill.

(That’s why we said, dieting and working out is the best way out there!)

Liraglutide (Saxenda)

Originally used to treat type-2 diabetes, the Liraglutide drug works quite the same as Semaglutide. It also suppresses your hunger and gives you a feeling of (nauseous) fullness throughout the day,m preventing you from eating. You can ask your doctor for more clarification on the pill and its potential side effects in your case. 

Phentermine

Used for relatively short periods of time, Phentermine differs from the rest of the meds in this list in its approach to curbing your appetite. It targets the sympathetic nervous system and activates it to lower your hunger levels significantly. It’s also one of the most commonly abused drugs so be very cautious where Phentermine is concerned and never take it for longer than a couple of weeks at a time. 

There are many weight loss pills out there and this is, by no means, a complete list. But these three pills are most commonly used for weight loss so you can ask your doctor about them and see what his suggestions and observations are. Never. and we repeat, NEVER take any weight loss pills without your doctor’s prescription and advice, which brings us to our next topic. 

Why do doctors hesitate to prescribe weight loss pills?

The weight loss pills are nothing but drugs. And every drug, no matter what it’s used for, contains without itself the seed of becoming an addiction. Especially the ones that are designed to be taken over a longer course of time. 

Weight loss pills usually need to be taken for a few weeks to a few months for them to work accurately and efficiently. During this time period, many patients develop an addiction to these pills, without even knowing it’s happening. Not to mention the fact that most pills work at a basic level. All they do is increase your metabolic rate, curb your appetite, or in some cases, target your fat cells and shrink them. 

So what? Because even if they work and even if you lose a bit of weight after using them, your core habits are still going to be the same. If you don’t exercise control over your dietary habits and don’t begin working out, the weight that you lost is just going to come back even faster and, in some cases, doubled!

This is the main reason why, even though the market is flooded with weight loss pills with more added every once in a while, doctors and physicians are still reluctant to prescribe them to their patients. 

A Word of Caution

At the risk of repeating ourselves again, we must remind you that although it seems like it, weight loss pills are not the magic cure you are looking for. There is no magic cure for fat loss. There is only the option of working hard on your body and sweating all the stored fat out. That, and that alone can help you lead a fulfilled and healthy life. 

Frequently Asked Questions