Medication-Assisted Weight Loss in the Age of Obesity

Obesity is a complex and potentially deadly health concern; yet, there are few medications available to treat this chronic, recurrent disease. Patients are frequently told to "lose weight" and change their diet and exercise habits. For many, making behavioral lifestyle changes is not enough to enhance weight loss efforts and improve overall health and quality of life. Medication-assisted weight loss must be considered as an adjunct treatment to lifestyle changes, as neither alone may provide the sustainable reduction in weight necessary to decrease the medical and psychiatric comorbidities associated with obesity. Short- and long-term medications are available to assist patients in losing excess weight. These agents are safe when taken as prescribed and monitored by a health care professional and incorporated into a plan to create and sustain a healthy lifestyle. Weight loss medication is not a "quick fix" but rather a tool in the kit of resources to combat obesity and improve patients' quality of life. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 55(8), 21-26.