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Anorectic Medications in the Treatment of Obesity-Reply
Susan Zelitch Yanovski, MD
Division of Digestive Diseases and Nutrition National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Bethesda, Md
Arch Fam Med. 1994;3(2):116.
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In reply
I thank Dr Brune for his insights into the effects that restricting prescriptions of anorectic medications has on his ability to provide individualized obesity treatment. If one believes, as do the majority of experts in the field, that obesity is a chronic medical condition, the futility of short-term use of medication becomes apparent. In addition, restricting prescription of anorectic agents to those who demonstrate continuing weight loss at some arbitrary level has two major disadvantages. First, it emphasizes weight loss, rather than improvement in health, as the primary goal of treatment. Second, it fails to take into account the many studies showing continued efficacy of medication at regulating weight at a lower level, even after ongoing weight loss has slowed or stopped.12 While anorectic agents are neither necessary nor appropriate for the majority of obese patients, they are clearly an efficacious adjunctive treatment for some. We can only hope
. . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]
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