title: Use of sibutramine to treat obesity.
abstract: Medications are useful adjuncts to diet and exercise and may help patients lose weight and maintain significant weight loss (5%-10% from baseline). Pharmacologic approaches are indicated in those patients who have had prior weight-loss attempts, who have a body mass index greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 or greater than or equal to 27 kg/m2 with comorbidity, and who are motivated and ready to undertake dietary and physical activity changes. This article provides a treatment algorithm to help physicians measure meaningful weight loss and proposes conservative blood pressure limits to guide the long-term prescription of sibutramine. Sibutramine can be a useful tool in the obesity treatment toolbox if used by knowledgeable practitioners.
authors.affiliation: Pennington Biomedical Research Center, 6400 Perkins Road, Baton Rouge, LA 70808, USA. ryandh@pbrc.edu
authors.forename: Donna H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Ryan
mesh_terms: D019440:Anti-Obesity Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003503:Cyclobutanes / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D009765:Obesity / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
chemical_list: D019440:Anti-Obesity Agents; D003503:Cyclobutanes; C058254:sibutramine