title: How physician obesity medicine specialists treated obesity before 2012 new drug approvals.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A survey of obesity medicine specialists was conducted before the approval of new obesity medications in 2012.
  
  
  METHODS
  An Internet survey was sent to obesity medicine specialists inquiring about their practice and prescribing habits.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-five percent of 1992 obesity medicine specialists responded. They used stimulant obesity medication for longer and at higher doses than recommended in the package insert. Medications for other indications were used off-label alone and in combination for obesity treatment. Only 15 % saw surgical patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The survey is a baseline for when more obesity medications exist in 5 years. We hope discovering a lack of collaboration between obesity medical specialists and obesity surgeons will stimulate more team work that will benefit obese patients contemplating or undergoing obesity surgery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Metabolism & Diabetes, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, 12348 E. Montview Blvd, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA.
authors.forename: Stacy L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bryman
authors.forename: Frank L
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Greenway
authors.forename: Ed J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Hendricks
mesh_terms: D019440:Anti-Obesity Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D050110:Bariatric Surgery / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D003625:Data Collection; D017277:Drug Approval; D004704:Endocrinology; D006801:Humans; D009765:Obesity / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D010820:Physicians / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D000078329:Workforce
chemical_list: D019440:Anti-Obesity Agents