You may need to see your doctor for help in losing weight if your own efforts have failed or if you have other medical conditions that make it crucial for you to lose weight. You may need to take prescription medicine if you have obesity-related health problems. Many people take over-the-counter or alternative medicine supplements in an attempt to lose weight. But to keep the weight off for the long-term, you'll need to change any unhealthy habits and eating patterns. Behavior change focuses on unhealthy dietary habits. It also adds physical activity into your daily life. Obesity-related eating disorders need to be treated by a therapist and may also need medicine.

Your doctor will figure out the best treatment for you, based on:

• Your age, overall health, physical abilities, and medical history.
• Past efforts to lose weight.
• How overweight you are.
• Your tolerance for specific medicines, procedures, or therapies.
• Your expectations for the course of the condition.
• Your opinion or preference.

Weight-loss medicines work by making you feel less hungry, making you feel full more quickly, or changing how you digest fat.

Here are some examples of medicines used for weight loss. Many are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a treatment for being overweight or having obesity. Other medicines with the same ingredients are often used to help with weight loss.

• Semaglutide (Wegovy, Ozempic). It may help you eat less. It's given as a shot or pill.
• Tirzepatide (Zepbound). This medicine may help you eat less. You take this medicine as a shot once a week.
• Liraglutide (Saxenda). This medicine may help you eat less. It's given as a shot once a day.
• Phentermine/topiramate (Qsymia). This medicine combines the drugs phentermine and topiramate. Taking it once a day can help you eat less.
• Bupropion/naltrexone (Contrave). This medicine may reduce your appetite. It may help you avoid overeating.
• Orlistat (Xenical). Orlistat prevents some of the fat calories you eat from being absorbed in your intestines. It's also available without a prescription under the brand name Alli. Alli is half as strong as Xenical.

Rarely, other prescription medicines are used on a short-term basis only. Amphetamines are not recommended because of the risk for addiction and substance abuse.

Always talk with your doctor before taking any weight-loss drugs.

Many over-the-counter supplements promise to help burn fat faster or reduce hunger. Some supplements have side effects that can be dangerous. A number of these products (perhaps most) have never been studied in clinical trials, so many of the side effects, benefits, and risks aren't well documented. If the claim of the maker sounds almost impossible, it likely is. (For instance, "Burn fat at night while you sleep!")

Ephedra (ma-huang) contains an ingredient used in asthma medicine. Dietary supplements containing ephedra have been banned by the FDA because of potentially dangerous side effects, including heart problems and stroke.

Products that work as a laxative can cause the potassium level in your blood to drop. This may cause heart or muscle problems, or both. Pyruvate is a popular product that may result in a small amount of weight loss. But taking more pyruvate, which is found in red apples, cheese, and red wine, hasn't been thoroughly studied. Its weight loss potential hasn't been scientifically established.

No supplement can take the place of healthy eating, but a multivitamin taken every day can help close the nutritional gap even for those people who eat healthy foods. But vitamin supplements won't help you lose weight.

Always talk with your doctor before taking these supplements, because they can cause a number of side effects.

Over the long term, most adults who have obesity and who lose weight may regain it if they don't change their approach to healthy eating. You can change your behavior in several ways. One way is to keep a food journal. In it, you keep track of what you ate, where you ate it, and when you got hungry. You can also keep an activity journal, tracking when you exercised and for how long. These journals can help you figure out your eating and activity habits, so you can then determine what to change.

A counselor or psychologist may be helpful with behavior modification methods. These methods can help you change your thinking about body image. A reward system that doesn't include food can help you stay on track toward your weight-loss goals. Other behavioral ideas include serving food from the stove rather than family style, and never watching TV, reading, or doing another activity while eating. You can also keep portion sizes small, use smaller plates, drink water with each meal, and set specific weight-loss goals.