ABSTRACT
When managing those who are overweight or obese, it is easy to concentrate on eating plans, activity, and behavior change but to forget the effect of other concurrent medical management on the patient’s weight and weight loss treatment. Ensuring that their medical management is optimized to aid and not hinder their weight loss plans is essential. In essence there are two major areas to consider. The rst is what advice they have been given about their other conditions and to ensure that this is in line with their weight loss treatment. For example, those with arthritis are often told to rest and not exercise to help with their pain, but when weight loss is necessary it is better to use appropriate analgesia, encourage extra activity (including hydrotherapy), achieve weight loss, and thus relieve arthritic pain. The other major area is that of medications, which may provoke weight gain. The major classes of such drugs are given in Table 17.1, and the use of these drugs needs to be considered carefully and alternative drugs considered. These weight-gaining drugs will be considered in this chapter.
