FDA approved four primisiing weight loss drugs saxenda, wagovy,Qsymia and orlistat to treat teen obesity, doctors can prescribe teen obesity drug to kid’s 12 years and above.
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Teen Obesity or childhood obesity is now a serious concern into United States, almost 1 kid in every 5 children’s is suffering from teen Obesity,
Medical experts are trying to find an effective and efficient way to deal with this serious concern into children’s and looking for an effective way to include teen obesity drugs and how to incorporate these weight loss supplements to handle the situation,
In this Teen Obesity article we will explore what all weight loss drug options are available and will be they beneficial for kids or not.
The American pediatrics academy has declared to include weight loss drugs to treat teen obesity which is happening first time in the US history. According to the academies guidelines and regulations,
pediatricians are adviced to prescribe weight loss drugs to teens dealing with obesity between the age of 12 and above, apart from that suggesting to adopt a healthy lifestyle and change the orthodox eating habits that encouraging the obesity in teens.
In line with these recommendations experts has indentified the 4 potential teen weight loss drugs that can be prescribe to the obese teens under weight loss treatment plan.
These important drugs are saxenda, wagovy,Qsymia and orlistat, among these teen obesity drugs Saxenda and wagovy are newly discovered drugs helping in weight loss management known as GLP-1 Agoinst,
both these weight loss drugs are becoming popular in obese people.
But as we know as soon as the recommendation was made a new controversy has started between group who are emphasizing on changing eating habits and raise their concern that these weight loss drug may be harmful for kids,
Although these drugs has been proven to treat obesity and found capable to support weight loss, another issue is with their price points,
these weight loss drugs are available at high price with scarcity and even insurance companies are not including them into their plans.
There is some drawback with this weight loss medication as follows.
- Highly priced
- Long term uses of these teen obesity drugs
- Insurance’s are not backing them
So here are some of the important things which teen as well as their parent’s should know about these weight loss drugs.
Related Reading: 6 Best Weight Loss Alternatives in 2023
How Long Teen needs to be on these weight loss drugs
This is a common question “How long their kids has to be on these weight loss drugs”, which every parent asked to doctors dealing with obesity.
It has been observed that wegovy a GLP-1 Agonist kind of drug people need to be on longer period of time to achieve a sustainable weight loss results,
even studies has proven that when people withdraw from these medicines or weight loss drugs tend to gain weight again in some times.
Dr Emily Breidbart who is a pediatrician at New York Langone health has said that “we don’t have and proven data of these drugs in adults yet” but what we recommend is to stay on these weight loss drugs for a longer period for sustainable results you must be seeking.
She compare this with Statin which is a high cholesterol drug she explained that when any person start having statin there is significant drop in their cholesterol level but as soon as they withdraw themselves their cholesterol start growing again.
Dr David Ludwig who is a pediatrician from Boston children’s hospital “emphasized that putting adults as well as children’s on the obesity drugs is something different”
He further explained that may be these drugs are efficient to deal with teen obesity but we must not forget that everything come with certain side effects as well.
Treat an older adult as well as treat a kid have huge deference’s as risks are much higher when we talk about treating teen obesity with these weight loss drugs,
Dr Alaina from los angles children’s hospital said that we need to have a detailed information and data that can explain starting these drugs and their long term effects of these weight loss drugs on teens.
Dr Alina Vidmar also explained that we need to evaluate the risk for what we have rather than what we don’t have to deal with teen obesity right now.
When Teens can start weight loss drugs
The America’s Pediatric academy has advised doctors to prescribe these weight loss drugs to obese kids if they are at 12 years of age or above but under the explained guidance, although we know that there is no magic age when a kid can start these weight loss drugs.
Dr Vidmar said that we all are trying to figure out how to deal with these weight loss drugs as well as find the method by which these teen obesity drugs can be incorporated by doctors and pediatrics who are dealing with teen obesity.
But recommendation of these weight loss drugs is entirely depending upon the severity of the case as well as weight of the kid, but not sure what impact that will put on children’s health in long run.
When we talk about obesity I older people it’s been said that anyone who has BMI index of 30 or greater considered obese but when it comes about kids than there are no certain BMI cutoffs are available.
It’s simple to understand that BMI range for a 12 year old kid might not considered for a 16 year-old-kid, The Dieses control and prevention center explained the 3 different classification to help doctors and pediatricians to start and guide during treatment.
CDC has ranked Teen obesity into three classes from i to iii and class iii is considered the worst health condition.
The America’s pediatric academy has released an advisory to the doctors and parents that any teen who fall under the class iii should start these weight loss drugs without further delay.
It’s a kind of emergency when we talk about teen obesity.
Dr vidmar explained that “yes there are chances of developing of type 2 diabetes in children’s along with high blood sugar, cholesterol and there are chances to develop cardiovascular issue in early age”.
She also explained that doctors need to classified and have to adopt different approach while treating teen obesity considering the class in which kids are falling.
Dr Breidbart Said that we know obesity will certainly lead to sleep apnea, joint pain and will push people to seek other weight loss option like following healthy diet and engaging themselves into physical activities.
While Using Weight Loss Drugs (What about Diet and Exercise)
It has been proven at times and again about contribution of diet along with physical exercise when we talk-about weight loss.
Although these weigh loss drugs are effective but they don’t guarantee to shed the amount of excess weight anyone needs to lose.
Yes these weight loss drugs are promising and has proven records but they will not treat obesity completely said Dr Ludwig from Boston hospital, they only contribute to 15 % of weight loss which is great. In some cases it is 50% in some extra ordinary case it goes up 100% excess weight.
A medical journal published in “American Medical Associations“, Dr Ludwig condemn the guidelines declared by AAP as there was not clear emphasize on following diet and exercise,
he personally recommended that a calorie deficit diet has to incorporate along with these weight loss drugs.
He explained that this will not only have lower monetary burden but will lower the risks of side effects of these teen obesity drugs.
Does These Drugs Leads to Eating Disorder
Twenty percent of young people have eating disorders, so when the AAP decided to add weight loss drugs to its guidelines, it got a lot of criticism from groups that work to avoid and treat eating disorders.
The Collaborative of Eating Disorder Organisations, which is made up of more than two dozen strong groups, has moved into this controversial area and taken a strong stand. In an open letter to the AAP, worries were expressed about the use of weight loss drugs by young people.
Their main worry was that this move might make an already worrying rise in the number of young people with eating disorders even worse.
They showed how unhappy they were by saying that doctors had given these drugs to people without thinking.
Breidbart’s voice added to the conversation because he was honest about how worried people were getting about the subject. She spoke out carefully in favour of only using weight loss pills as a last choice, after all other options have been tried.
She thought that the complicated parts of this topic hadn’t been taken into account enough,
so she pointed out that this area is still mostly unexplored. She made an important point about the risk that these drugs might make people act in dangerous ways, which needs more research.
Breidbart’s self-reflections were well received, so she told her readers that she was going to try something new in her work.
She made a new questionnaire to make sure that every child is carefully checked for signs of an eating problem before starting any medicine to help them lose weight.
It seems likely that the appearance of an eating disorder would send up red flags and make therapy more cautious.
When Vidmar, an expert with a unique point of view, took the stage, the talk changed. She spoke with kindness as she urged people to see obesity as a disease that lasts a long time, not as a result of bad choices.
In her office, she doesn’t pay much attention to a person’s weight or height because she cares more about keeping people safe and minimizing life-complicating effects.
As we’ve moved through this complicated world, it’s become clear that weight loss drugs are just a small piece of a much bigger puzzle.
We need to be careful while still being willing to help people who really need it. We need to walk a fine line between confusion and acting on impulse.
It’s a trip driven by caring about other people, doing research, and working hard to make the future better for today’s kids.
Prominent Side Effects of Weight Loss Drugs
Although these weight loss drugs seems promising and has gain popularity these days but we can’t overlook its side effects.
Most common side-effects that has been reported while using these obesity drugs are Nausea, vomiting, upset stomach and diarrhea. Yes there are cases when people have quit these weight loss medicines due to such effects.
Dr Ludwig Explain “it’s easy to understand when we talk about side effects“, first we need to know how these drugs function in our body,
These suppress digestion process, which means food stays for a longer duration in our stomach and people tend to fell such symptoms like vomiting and nausea,
Although these side effects are quite mild when we compare them from its previous generation weight loss drugs as well as weight-loss surgery. But yes there are safe to treat obesity.
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Teen Obesity Drugs Key Take away
During our extensive teen obesity drug review we observed that Yes these teen weigh loss drugs seem promising by looking at their results as well as people are liking these weight loss supplements to treat their obesity.
But we can’t overlook the significance of following a healthy and nutrient full of natural diet along with engaging ourselves with some physical exercises or playing sports.
Nothing can be more promising with these natural methods and yes these methods guaranteed the sustainable weight loss without causing any side-effects to your body.
But Its Upon people what they want to choose “these weight loss drugs or the natural method”,
if you like this teen obesity article than don’t forget to share with someone who is in need.
🌟 Hi ! I’m Christy Anna, your go-to content writer and product reviewer with 8 years of experience in the dynamic world of diet, nutrition and overall health and wellness.
My passion for helping individuals achieve their weight loss goals stems from a deep understanding of the transformative power of a balanced lifestyle. Over the years I’ve dedicated myself to researching, testing and sharing insights on the most effective strategies for a healthier & happier you.