Obesity or severe overweight requires long-term treatment, and as in other chronic conditions, long-term use of prescription medications may be appropriate for some obese patients.

Only Xenical (orlistat) and Meridia (sibutramine) are currently approved by the the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for long-term use.

In addition, anti-obesity drugs -- like all medications -- can have side-effects. Some serious complications have been reported.

At present, prescription drugs are only recommended for:

• People with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater (the benchmark for obesity) with no obesity-related conditions.
• People with a body mass index (BMI) of 27 or greater (seriously overweight) with two or more obesity-related conditions.

Most other anti-obesity drugs approved by the FDA are for short-term use, and for the most part are appetite-suppressant medications.

These include: Didrex, Tenuate, Sanorex, Mazanor, and Adipex.

In the 1990s, doctors prescribed the popular appetite suppressant Redux or the combination of phentermine and fenfluramine, called "Phen-fen."But f enfluramine (Pondimin) and Redux were withdrawn from the market in 1997 because they caused damage to heart valves.

Phentermine is still available. Taking phentermine alone has not been associated with the adverse health effects of the fenfluramine-phentermine combination.

The only two new anti-obesity drugs in late-stage clinical trials are Acomplia (rimonabant) and Axokine. More information about development of these new drugs can be found at Acomplia Report (www.AcompliaReport.com).

All information provided in this site is offered for educational purposes only, and it is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult your own physician or healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.