Aside from diet and exercise, some prescription diet pills are recommended by doctors in order to treat obesity. However, your doctor will conduct several tests before he will prescribe a diet pill for you.

One of the factors that your doctor will have to consider is your BMI or your Body Mass Index. Basically, if you have diabetes, high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, and sleep apnea, your doctor will recommend diet pills for you if your body mass index is greater than 27. Also, even if you don't have any underlying condition, your doctor may recommend diet pills if your body mass index is greater than 30.

What is the Body Mass Index?

Body mass index (BMI) refers to the ratio of body fat in our body based on our height and the corresponding weight for it. It is one of the most accurate ways to determine if your extra weight will result to increased health risks. BMI measurements should be taken into consideration in assessing the health of men and women, especially adults. The higher your BMI, the greater risks you have in getting more and more health problems.

To compute for your body mass index, you will just have to determine your weight in kilograms and divide it by the square of your height. If you BMI is less than 18.5, then you are categorized as underweight. If your BMI is anywhere between 18.5 and 25, then you have a normal weight. In excess of 25 but lesser than 30, you are considered to be overweight. However, if your BMI exceeds thirty, then you are already obese and prescription diet pills can be recommended by your doctor.

Prescription weight loss drugs

There are two prescription drugs that are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for weight loss management.

Sibutramine (Meridia)

The sibutramine prescription diet pills work by altering your mind chemistry. These pills help you lose weight by making you think and feel that you are already full. These can also prevent feelings of hunger and thirst.

These pills will eventually help you lose fat more quickly that diet and exercise. In fact, studies show that people who use sibutramine lose ten pounds more than people who just follow a low calorie diet. However, taking this pill can result to some side effects. This list of side effects includes headache, high blood pressure, constipation, and insomnia.

Orlistat (Xenical)

Orlistat pills are prescription diet pills that reduce the body's ability to absorb fat. When the fat and cholesterol are not absorbed, they are eliminated in the stool. That is why, you can have oily spotting when taking orlistat.

The average weight loss for orlistat regimen is at least six pounds for a year. However, you can definitely lose more weight if you engage in diet plans and exercises. Aside from oily spotting and lose bowel movement, the use of orlistat diet pills may result to a decreased absorption of nutrients from the food that you consume. As a countermeasure, your doctor may ask you to take a multivitamin before bed time.

A similar diet pill that works the same way as the orlistat prescription diet pills is the Alli diet pill. These pills are the first FDA approved over the counter weight loss pills that can be used by people with obesity problems.