Medications for Obesity

Importance: Obesity affects approximately 19% of women and 14% of men worldwide and is associated with increased morbidity. Antiobesity medications (AOMs) modify biological processes that affect appetite and significantly improve outcomes, such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. Observations: AOMs should be administered in combination with lifestyle interventions and can be classified according to their mechanisms of action. Orlistat modifies digestive tract absorption and causes gastrointestinal adverse effects, such as oily fecal spotting and urgency, in more than 25% of patients. Centrally acting drugs, such as phentermine-topiramate and naltrexone-bupropion, regulate appetite in the brain…