The Truth About Topamax Dosage for Weight Loss
Normally, the prescription drug, Topamax (or Topiramate), is used for treatment of epilepsy and the prevention of migraine headaches. But an unexpected side effect of taking Topamax is weight loss. A reported weight loss of 16 percent in adults and 21 percent in children has been recorded. Health care providers have started prescribing certain Topamax dosages for weight loss but only for certain situations. But because Topamax is not recommended or even recognized as drug or medication for weight loss by the US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA), this becomes an “off label” prescription or use of the drug.
An “off label” prescription of a particular drug is used when the particular drug, i.e., Topamax, used to treat a medical condition or disease is not approved by the US FDA. The US FDA will regulate how this prescription drug can be advertised or manufactured by the producing company. However, these same regulations do not actually prohibit a health care provider from prescribing the drug for different medical conditions.
Prescription of a minimum amount of Topamax dosage for weight loss falls under an “off label” prescription. Topamax is primarily used to treat epilepsy and used, in minimal dosage, to prevent migraine headaches. But side effects have appeared in patients taking and weight loss is one of them. To avoid the appearance of these side effects, health care providers recommend a small dose of less than 25 mg daily, split into two doses, which should be at least twelve hours apart. Do not expect dramatic weight loss, though, as the amount of weight lost is still in proportion with a person’s body weight.
Topamax has been prescribed for treatment of weight loss and obesity and to assist in the decrease of the occurrence of binge eating. However, prescription of Topamax for weight loss has also resulted in several undesirable side effects. Health reports have noted that patients who have used Topamax for weight loss have experienced memory loss and difficulty in concentration.
These side effects make it more difficult to tolerate Topamax and make it harder for the drug to work effectively. This is the reason why Topamax will not be approved by the US Food and Drug Administration as a recommended prescription drug for weight loss because there is no balance. Prescribing Topamax has proven tricky because an intake of excess dosage can result in undesirable effects that can lead to something more dangerous. Common side effects include a change in taste, diarrhea, nausea and dizziness. Dangerous side effects include memory problems, fatigue, confusion and impairment of fine motor skills.
If there is an excess dosage or intake of topamax, complications may include seizures, speech problems, blurred vision, loss of coordination, loss of consciousness and coma, muscle weakness and bone pain. Because of this, despite the results, any amount of Topamax dosage and weight loss is not a good combination. It may lead to undesirable results that can even turn fatal.
What You Should Know About Weight Loss Prescription Medication
If you are having trouble losing weight, it is possible that taking a prescribed weight loss medication may be a good approach. Generally, it is necessary for your current overall health and weight to be within a range that your doctor feels would benefit from the use of some type of weight loss medication. Before you decide to call up your doctor and ask for a weight loss prescription to help you lose weight, here are some things you should know.
Not everyone is a candidate for the use of weight loss medicines. Generally, your doctor will evaluate your current BMI or Body Mass Index before considering the possibility of writing a prescription for weight loss medication. If you have a BMI of 27 or over and have some type of obesity related health issues, there is a good chance your doctor will approve your request. If your current weight level does not appear to have triggered any other health issues thus far, you may have to register a BMI of over 30 before your physician will recommend one of the several prescription medications for weight loss available today.
Depending on your situation, your physician may choose to go with a weight loss medication that works in one of two ways. One option is to make use of a medication that works as an appetite suppressant. Weight loss medicines of this type simply help you to be satisfied with less food. If you are ambulatory and able to engage in some type of exercise and other activities, the appetite suppressant may be all you need to kick start your weight loss program.
The second option with a weight loss prescription is known as a fat absorption inhibitor. If you have other ailments that can be traced back to your weight, this may be the preferred way to go. A fat absorption inhibitor will block the body from absorbing most of the fat from your food. Instead, the fat moves through the system and is expelled as waste. As a result, the fat does not have the chance to be stored in the body.
Keep in mind there is the chance of side effects with all types of weight loss medications. While many people will experience nothing more than a few mild discomforts, other people will find that use of the prescription for weight loss causes severe problems. Some of the possible side effects include trouble sleeping, nausea, drowsiness and constipation. In more severe situations, persons using a weight loss prescription may become addicted, begin to have anxiety or panic attacks, or experience increases in blood pressure or heart rate. Any side effects should be reported to your doctor immediately.
If your weight problem is severe, your doctor may include some type of prescription medication for losing weight in your overall plan to drop the pounds. Still, an important key to your success has to do with attitude. If you do not take losing weight seriously, none of the weight loss prescription medications on the market today will overcome your lack of commitment and magically return you to a healthy weight range.
Tips For You On Weight Loss Products
In this day and age, if a you want to lose weight, you can do so with a lot of outside help. You can do this in the form of exercise, food regulation, weight loss products and programs and weight loss medicines. A ton of weight loss products are now readily available in the market for your use. But with the numerous products for losing weight available in the market, which ones are effective and which ones are not?
Choosing the wrong ones can be dangerous and create more problems than you just trying to lose weight. There are weight loss pills, drinks, patches and weight loss diets. Which ones work and which ones work for a longer time?
Weight loss products include drinks usually marketed as diet supplement drinks, meant to replace food for a meal. Herbalife products are meant to replace 2 meals everyday with Herbalife shakes (mixed with nonfat milk) and Herbalife tablets. Ultra Slim Fast recommends drinking two shakes a day and food intake of a snack and dinner of 500 to 650 calories and an exercise plan.
Other supplement drink products are also available in the market and offer the same things as Herbalife and Ultra Slim Fast. However, these products come with side effects. Many users have reported that they still feel hungry after drinking these products. And because these products do not really aid in teaching users about proper and healthy, long-term eating, most users give up these products and eventually gain back the weight they’ve already lost.
There are also weight loss products in the form of pills as supplements. Diet pills containing Ephedra claim to aid in weight loss simply by taking a certain number of pills daily. Green tea extract supplements are pills with ingredients extracted from green tea and enhance weight loss. There are other products like these but one thing they all have in common is that these products do not automatically guarantee weight loss.
Most of the time, these products are not even proven to be safe and effective for losing weight. There are some weight loss pills that are better than most pill products. These are usually diet pills that contain PPA, glucomannan supplements and chitonan supplements. These products have been effective because they usually instruct users to pair the weight loss pills with a low-fat, calorie-reduced diet.
Before deciding to try these weight loss products or deciding what to try, make sure you do research on the product and its ingredients first. Be sure to consult with the US Food and Drug Administration for the safe ingredients and the ones to watch out for. Once decided, make sure to follow instructions carefully.
Misuse or mishandling the product can result in more health problems. And users must also remember that these weight loss products are not the only factor in losing weight. They simply aid in weight loss and will not do all the work. The work still has to come from a determination to lose the undesired weight.