You’ve decided to go for it. You are going to get a prescription for a weight loss drug. You discovered that you are overweight, and you’ve talked to your doctor about your options. You now have two different kinds of prescription medicine that you may take to help you lose weight: appetite suppressants and lipase inhibitors. Again, you will want to consult your doctor in order to determine which medicine will best help you achieve your weight loss goal.

Appetite Suppressants

One example of an appetite suppressant is sibutramine, found in the weight loss drug Meridia. Medline Plus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institute of Health, presents an explanation into how sibutramine works. Medline Plus offers that sibutramine is thought to increase the activity of the chemicals norepinephrine and serotonin in order to alter appetite. So what does that mean? According to the Webster’s Third New International Dictionary (unabridged) norepinephrine is “a crystalline compound that occurs as a hormone with epinephrine and has a strong vasoconstrictor action and mediates transmission of sympathetic nerve impulses.” Serotonin is “a crystalline compound that is a powerful vasoconstrictor.” So what is a vasoconstrictor? According to Medline Plus, it is the constriction of blood vessels. This aids in the decrease of appetite.

Bontril, another example of an appetite suppressant, works a little differently from sibutramine. Bontril increases heart rate and blood pressure, thus decreasing appetite. Didrex, phentermine, and tenuate all follow this pattern.

Lipase Inhibitors

According to the FDA Consumer Magazine, all of us have the enzyme lipase. Our body uses lipase to fragment the fats that we eat so that our body can use them. These drugs inhibit lipase from breaking down the fats in our bodies. This decreases the amount of fat our body takes in. The FDA claims that Xenical, an FDA approved lipase inhibitor, decreases “fat absorption by 30 percent.”

So Now What?

Too much information? You may be thinking “I didn’t understand any of that,” but your doctor can help you make sense of the science behind these drugs and will also help you understand the potential side effects and risks when taking prescription drugs. Consult your doctor if you have more questions about the scientific ins and outs of these medicines.