{"id":2827,"date":"2026-01-17T13:12:35","date_gmt":"2026-01-17T08:12:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/doctoraklohana.com\/?p=2827"},"modified":"2026-02-24T20:24:50","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T15:24:50","slug":"available-medications","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/doctoraklohana.com\/?p=2827","title":{"rendered":"Available Medications"},"content":{"rendered":"
    \n
  1. Semaglutide (Wegovy)<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
      \n
    • Treatment duration: 68 weeks<\/li>\n
    • Dose escalation:
      \n\u2022 Weeks 1\u20134: 0.25 mg weekly SC
      \n\u2022 Weeks 5\u20138: 0.5 mg weekly SC
      \n\u2022 Incrementally up to 2.4 mg weekly SC<\/li>\n
    • Average weight reduction: 14.9% of baseline weight\u3010STEP1\u3011<\/li>\n
    • Common side effects: nausea (40%), vomiting (20%), diarrhea, constipation, abdominal pain<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
        \n
      1. Tirzepatide (Zepbound)<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
          \n
        • Treatment duration: 72 weeks<\/li>\n
        • Dose escalation:
          \n\u2022 Weeks 1\u20134: 2.5 mg weekly SC
          \n\u2022 Increase every 4 weeks to 5 mg, 10 mg, then 15 mg weekly SC<\/li>\n
        • Average weight reduction: up to 20.9% at 15 mg dose\u3010SURMOUNT-1\u3011<\/li>\n
        • Common side effects: nausea (35%), diarrhea, decreased appetite, vomiting<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
            \n
          1. Liraglutide (Saxenda)<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
              \n
            • Treatment duration: 56 weeks<\/li>\n
            • Dose escalation: 0.6 mg daily SC up to 3.0 mg daily SC<\/li>\n
            • Average weight reduction: ~8.0% of baseline weight\u3010SCALE\u3011<\/li>\n
            • Common side effects: nausea (40%), vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, injection-site reactions<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                \n
              1. Orlistat (Xenical)<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
                  \n
                • Treatment duration: 12 months or longer<\/li>\n
                • Dose: 120 mg three times daily with each main meal<\/li>\n
                • Average weight reduction: 3\u20135% of baseline weight<\/li>\n
                • Common side effects: oily spotting, flatulence with discharge, fecal urgency<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                    \n
                  1. Naltrexone\u2013Bupropion (Contrave)<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
                      \n
                    • Treatment duration: 56 weeks<\/li>\n
                    • Dose escalation:
                      \n\u2022 Week 1: 8 mg\/90 mg once daily
                      \n\u2022 Weeks 2\u20134: escalate to 8 mg\/90 mg twice daily<\/li>\n
                    • Average weight reduction: ~4.8% of baseline weight<\/li>\n
                    • Common side effects: nausea, headache, constipation, dizziness<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                        \n
                      1. Phentermine\u2013Topiramate (Qsymia)<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
                          \n
                        • Treatment duration: 12 months minimum<\/li>\n
                        • Dose escalation:
                          \n\u2022 3.75 mg\/23 mg once daily for 2 weeks
                          \n\u2022 Increase to 7.5 mg\/46 mg daily; may escalate to 15 mg\/92 mg daily<\/li>\n
                        • Average weight reduction: ~9.3% of baseline weight<\/li>\n
                        • Common side effects: dry mouth, paresthesia, constipation, insomnia<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                          How Should I Prepare?<\/strong><\/p>\n

                            \n
                          • Continue a reduced-calorie, balanced diet and exercise program.<\/li>\n
                          • Obtain baseline labs (glucose, liver\/kidney function).<\/li>\n
                          • Review all current medications for potential interactions.<\/li>\n
                          • Discuss insurance coverage and financial assistance programs if needed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                            What Can I Expect?<\/strong><\/p>\n

                              \n
                            • Gradual weight loss over months; most drugs peak at 6\u201318 months.<\/li>\n
                            • Regular monitoring of vital signs, weight, and side effects in monthly visits.<\/li>\n
                            • Dose adjustments or therapy changes based on response and tolerability.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                              Risks & Possible Complications<\/strong><\/p>\n

                                \n
                              • Gastrointestinal upset is the most common side effect and often diminishes over time.<\/li>\n
                              • Rare but serious risks (pancreatitis, gallstones, mood changes) require prompt reporting.<\/li>\n
                              • Birth defects risk\u2014women of childbearing potential must use effective contraception.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                                Why Opt for Medication?<\/strong><\/p>\n

                                  \n
                                • Obesity is a chronic disease with strong genetic and hormonal drivers.<\/li>\n
                                • Medications target physiological pathways beyond willpower\u2014reducing hunger signals and improving satiety.<\/li>\n
                                • Achieving \u226510% weight loss with drugs can reverse prediabetes, lower blood pressure, and reduce cardiovascular risk more reliably than lifestyle changes alone.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                                  Follow-Up & Support<\/strong><\/p>\n

                                    \n
                                  • Monthly visits for the first 6 months, then every 3 months.<\/li>\n
                                  • Ongoing nutritional counseling and behavioral therapy.<\/li>\n
                                  • Laboratory monitoring at 3 and 6 months, then annually.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                                    Semaglutide (Wegovy) Treatment duration: 68 weeks Dose escalation: \u2022 Weeks 1\u20134: 0.25 mg weekly SC \u2022 Weeks 5\u20138: 0.5 mg weekly SC \u2022 Incrementally up to 2.4 mg weekly SC Average weight reduction: 14.9% of baseline weight\u3010STEP1\u3011 Common side effects: nausea (40%), vomiting (20%), diarrhea, constipation, abdominal pain Tirzepatide (Zepbound) Treatment duration: 72 weeks Dose […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[60],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2827","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blogs"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/doctoraklohana.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2827","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/doctoraklohana.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/doctoraklohana.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/doctoraklohana.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/doctoraklohana.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2827"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/doctoraklohana.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2827\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2828,"href":"https:\/\/doctoraklohana.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2827\/revisions\/2828"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/doctoraklohana.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2827"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/doctoraklohana.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2827"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/doctoraklohana.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2827"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}