When do you think its time?

[Speeddemon]

I'm curious about what everyone here thinks. When do you think it's time to ask your doctor about prescription diet pills?

[enviroTodd]

I feel that if you are obese, it is important to speak with your doctor about prescription medications. While I don’t believe that they should be a first choice for any dieter, necessarily, I think that it is important to understand what your options are, regardless of whether or not you actually intend to use them for your weight loss.

If you speak with your doctor about prescription diet pills, then you will be able to gain a better understanding of what they have to offer as well as what their drawbacks are and how you will need to change your lifestyle regardless of the fact that you are taking them.

At the same time, you should also talk about those lifestyle changes as well as about what other options are available to you without a prescription. That way, you will have a much more complete comprehension of the strengths and weaknesses of the various options that are out there and you can make an educated and informed choice.

[brightstar]

I don’t think that you automatically need to jump into pills if you know that you need to lose weight, but if you’ve been trying to eat right and exercise and you’re just not getting to where you know a healthy person should be, talk to your doc about prescription and non-prescription options, alike

[BabyButtons]

I think you should really only consider this as an option if you need help making traditional dieting and exercise work for you. Like, if you're obese and you're finding it really hard to cut back on your calories, a prescription drug that may help to block fat or suppress your appetite may benefit you. That said, they really should be considered one of your last options. Prescription drugs don't always work well and they can come with some nasty side effects.

[enviroTodd]

Prescription drugs don't always work well and they can come with some nasty side effects.

That's the important factor that a lot of people don’t even remember. Just because it’s a prescription drug that your doctor has recommended, it doesn’t mean that it is the ideal solution to all of your weight loss woes. A lot of them come with a lot of side effects and other unwanted issues. Plus, they are only good for helping to overcome symptoms. They don’t help you to get past the problem, itself.

Assuming that you do achieve your goal weight by using those medications, once you stop using them, you’re on your own. If you haven’t used your time wisely to develop all of the right weight maintenance problems, then you’ll just find yourself back to where you started, soon enough. If you regain the weight, you might find it even harder to lose it again, not to mention the fact that gaining and losing weight is very hard on your health and your positive energy flow.

[suzieQ]

I think it's something you should consider if you're obese, because I think you might need a little more help than what the OTC products can provide. Also, prescription diet pills have been designed for treating obesity. It's definitely something you need to discuss with your doctor,though.

[BabyButtons]

That's the important factor that a lot of people don’t even remember. Just because it’s a prescription drug that your doctor has recommended, it doesn’t mean that it is the ideal solution to all of your weight loss woes. A lot of them come with a lot of side effects and other unwanted issues. Plus, they are only good for helping to overcome symptoms. They don’t help you to get past the problem, itself.

Assuming that you do achieve your goal weight by using those medications, once you stop using them, you’re on your own. If you haven’t used your time wisely to develop all of the right weight maintenance problems, then you’ll just find yourself back to where you started, soon enough. If you regain the weight, you might find it even harder to lose it again, not to mention the fact that gaining and losing weight is very hard on your health and your positive energy flow.

Exactly enviroTodd. These pills are also only a short term treatment. They are meant to help you create a diet and exercise regimen that you'll need to stick to once you no longer have the additional help that these drugs provide. You can't use these pills like a crutch. Weight loss results from your actions, not from the pills you take. Weight loss requires change. No matter what treatments you might use to help you along the way. There is no quick-fix solution.

[enviroTodd]

You can't use these pills like a crutch.

Precisely! In fact, instead of thinking of them as a crutch that you lean on, you should think of them as training wheels! Your main goal is to ride the bike without them, but they’re there for you in case you start tipping over. The same can be said about any diet pill. You need to try to reduce your calories, eat more nutritionally dense foods, and exercise more, but if you start to slip, it will keep you up!