Drug Therapy or Bariatric Surgery for Weight Loss
By: Sherri Z. Jones

A vast number of people are overweight. Many of these people are overweight for one simple reason: their lifestyle. A lack of exercise and a carefree diet are the main contributors to their obesity.

Ridding themselves of the burdon of extra weight isn't completely easy. It is as much mental as it is physical. Changing your eating habits and getting into a routine of exercise will generally take care of the extra weight in a reasonable amount of time.

For others, however, this is not the case. Some have genetic problems while others have emotional problems. This alone results in a vicious cycle of eating to feel better, gaining weight, feeling bad about it, and then eating to get rid of that bad feeling.

For those in this position there is an answer. After a concerted effort to lose weight by traditional means fails... there is drug therapy. Drug therapy isn't the answer by itself. You will still need to continue eating properly and exercising regularly. Only now, you will add a drug like Phentermine to the routine. In addition to this drug, a person may also be prescribed another drug such as fluoxotine. This is more commonly known as Prozac, an anti depressant. The combination of the two can help your efforts by helping you feel better about yourself, which in turn gives you the drive to accomplish your goals. The two drugs compliment each other. A 2+2=5 effect.

For those that are unable to accomplish their goals with these methods. There is always bariatric surgery. You should take great care in choosing a physician to perform this surgery. The American College of Physicians suggests there is a learning curve among physicians for this technique. Death rates for this surgery have been recorded at .3% to as high as 1.9%.

About the Author

Sherri Z. Jones is co-owner of an  

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