ABSTRACT
Physicians caring for overweight and obese patients have more pharmacotherapeutic agents from which to choose. Pharmacotherapy is a mainstay in obesity treatment, but it should always be used within the context of a comprehensive approach to treating the illness. Pharmacotherapy should never be used alone, but rather in combination with caloric restriction for weight loss or dietary control for maintenance, and behavior modification. Diethylpropion is a safe and effective weight management drug and is widely used. Zonisamide is another antiepileptic drug that can induce weight loss. A clinical trial with zonisamide as monotherapy indicated a respectable weight loss, and other clinical trials have shown it useful in binge eating. Certain drugs are useful as adjuncts in obesity pharmacotherapy. Generally, these drugs have not proven to be effective in producing weight loss when used alone. Most patients will have better long-term success with weight maintenance if antiobesity drugs are continued indefinitely after weight loss.
