Weight management - 3 medication

                               Obesity Drugs

 1) Xenacal -(Orlistat) - Lipase inhibitor
          This particular drug inhibits the enzyme lipase that breaks down fats
in the small intestine. As a result fats are not absorbed and pass through the intestines 
out of the body. Reduced absorption of fat  then leads to reduced kcal intake and weight 
loss. 
     Drawback of this medication, that it has to be taken with food, is that if patient 
is not on low fat diet it produces severe!!!!! diarhea. This happens when patient eats 
over 30% fat in his diet. Diet that is about 10% fat causes still uncomfortable stomach 
cramping.

2) Meridia- classified as -Serotonin uptake drug
       It could be used as antidepressants drug similarly as Prozac and Zoloft. The 
mechanism of action is as follows. Serotonin which is a neurotransmitter is released
from neurons and enters synaptic clef in between neuron and receptor on the other side.
To maximize time that serotonin stays available in this synapse, before it gets absorbed 
by receptor on the other side, we use drugs like Meridia,  Prozac or Zoloft, that
will inhibit those receptors(prevent absorption of serotonin).Reason for that is that 
it takes a while before neuron can produce and release another dosage of
serotonin. Longer we can keep serotonin in the synapse, the  longer we will feel calm.
    Essentially function of serotonin is to keep you calm relaxed helps you deal with 
situation that causes compulsive behavior such as overeating. And that’s how meridia 
works. It does not have direct effect on weight loss,( the average wt loss is about
1 LB a week which is what you would loose on normal weight reduction program ) ,but
it helps you deal with the situations that can cause you to over eat. So in other words,
it makes it easier for you to stay on the diet- patient
thus become in control of their diet. 
    One drawback is that with time you can build tolerance to this class of drugs, and
you may need to increase dosage to keep it working for you. There is however only as 
much as you can take and high excessive dosages can eventually shut down neuron and 
create severe conditions. 

     Other supplements sold over the counter like Metabolite or Stacker I and II work by
stimulating your sympathetic nervous system through substances called Mahuang -Chinese
Ephedra- (Ephedra Chinensis)    That is usually combined with coffee -(in herbal 
preparation it is usually  cola nuts and/or guarana and some form of salycilate 
containing herb  such as willow bark - note by the tutor)  

www.angelfire.com/art/nutrition/calculations9.html

Practice case studies for weight maintenance here