What are Appetite Suppressants and When To Take Them?

Appetite suppressants or diet pills are known to help lose weight. These appetite suppressants are useful for people who have excess weight. They affect the urge to eat, reduce your hunger or make you feel full. Due to this, your calorie intake reduces drastically. Consequently, you start losing weight. You can lose more weight if you combine appetite suppressants with healthy lifestyle changes just as exercise and diet. On average, people who intake appetite suppressants with lifestyle changes can lose almost 3-9% of weight within a year. They are meant for short-term use.^(1,2)

Appetite suppressants are prescribed medications that can help you feel full or less hungry to make to eat less as well as lose weight. This term is used by natural and herbal diet pill makers that describe nonprescription and plant-based products, which curb hunger. Though some appetite suppressants are meant for short-term use, some are intended for long-term use.⁽³⁾ Besides prescription medications, there are natural supplements and over-the-counter products that suppress hunger and help to lose weight. They will result in eating less by reducing food cravings, enhanced feeling of fullness, and minimizing appetite. The suppressants do not target mindless eating, emotional eating, or sedentary behaviour.⁽²⁾

Appetite suppressants work in multiple ways. Some of them might make you feel full sooner or less hungry, while others can make it tough for a body to absorb fat.

However, neither natural appetite nor prescription appetite suppressants can work as a replacement for lifestyle changes for weight loss. Lifestyle and diet changes are quite challenging and this is the reason why many people choose a dietary supplement for weight loss. However, according to experts’, consumption of a healthy diet and regular physical activity can help in a long-term loss in weight.

Patients have witnessed huge success using appetite suppressants. The FDA-approved medications minimize your urge to eat and enhance the rate your body burns fat. They reduce your body’s food cravings and help you to eat less. Your body becomes adjusted to small portions and you transit to a low-calorie food diet for healthy and steady weight loss.^(1,4)

A persons’ eligibility for appetite suppressants depends on the BMI or Body Mass Index. BMI is a number, which represents the relation of a person’s weight to his height. An adult having a BMI between 9 – 18.5 is considered a normal weight person. People who have BMI between 25 – 29.9 are overweight. If a person has a BMI of 30 or more, he is considered obese.^(3,4)

Appetite suppressants or diet pills are not prescribed lightly. Their use is meant for people who are considered obese or those people who are overweight and have life-threatening health-related problems including high cholesterol, diabetes and high blood pressure.⁽⁵⁾

As the drugs used in some appetite suppressants might be addictive, they are meant for short-term use. The duration to take them depends on the weight you need to lose and if you have developed any adverse side effects. Most weight loss happens within the initial six months of its use.^(3,5)

When you do not lose a minimum of 5% of your initial weight after taking the pill, your treatment plan or medication might need to be changed.⁽³⁾ Appetite suppressants are not a weight-loss program and therefore changes to your diet or physical activity might impact the results and can help you in transition.

If you are thinking of taking appetite suppressants you should consult a physician. They can judge whether appetite suppressants are right for you and how they can help to achieve weight loss goals. They are not appropriate when you have health issues including heart conditions and high blood pressure. It is important to take a healthy diet for the best results.

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