What Does FDA-Approved Mean?
There is a lot of confusion about the approval status of many so-called "weight loss medications". I'd like to try to clear some of that up.
First of all, for the purposes of this discussion, the term "FDA-approved weight loss medication" means ONLY that
- The substance in question is a drug and is NOT a food, a cosmetic, a device or a supplement
- The drug can be either over the counter or prescription
- The drug must carry labeling that specifically says that it is indicated (recommended) for the treatment of obesity
Notice that in the above description I have specified nothing about the details of how, how long, or under what clinical circumstances a drug should or should not be prescribed for the treatment of obesity, I am merely clarifying that the term "FDA-approved weight loss medication" means a drug that is specifically approved for treating obesity under SOME circumstances.
With that said, in March of the year 2012, this is a complete list of all FDA-approved weight loss drugs:
There is Only One FDA-Approved Over-The-Counter Weight Loss Drug
There is Only One Prescription But Non-Controlled FDA-Approved Weight Loss Drug
There are Four Schedule IV FDA-Approved Weight Loss Drugs
- Phentermine
- Diethylpropion
- Qsymia (Phentermine/Topiramate)
- Belviq (Lorcaserin)
There are Two Schedule III FDA-Approved Weight Loss Drugs
- Phendimetrazine
- Benzphetamine*
In the sub-pages to this topics I will describe each of these medications in more detail.
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