Updated: Mar 26, 2025, 6:55pm
There’s a reason why healthcare professionals may recommend weight loss prescription drugs, and it’s not just about achieving a certain look. It’s because on average, those who take medications as part of a weight management plan lose up to 12 percent more of their starting body weight than people who don’t.
There are plenty of FDA-approved weight loss drugs these days. But do they actually work or is it all hype? And which one is the best? Below, we’ll take a look at the best weight loss medications and how effective they really are.
Key Takeaways:
There are many types of peptides, some of which can play a part in helping treat sleeping disorders. We take a look at the current research and which peptides may help you get a quality night of shut-eye.
Which Medications Are FDA Approved for Weight Loss?
There’s a reason why healthcare professionals may recommend weight loss prescription drugs, and it’s not just about achieving a certain look. It’s because on average, those who take medications as part of a weight management plan lose up to 12 percent more of their starting body weight than people who don’t.
There are plenty of FDA-approved weight loss drugs these days. But do they actually work or is it all hype? And which one is the best? Below, we’ll take a look at the best weight loss medications and how effective they really are.
What is Lorem Ipsum?
Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged.
Sermorelin
Sermorelin is another synthetic peptide that functions as a growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) analog. It stimulates the pituitary gland to produce and release GH, akin to CJC-1295 and Ipamorelin but with a slightly different mechanism.
Orexin
Orexins, also known as hypocretins, are neuropeptides that play a pivotal role in regulating wakefulness and arousal. They are critical in maintaining the delicate balance between sleep and wake states, and their dysfunction is strongly implicated in narcolepsy.
Galanin
Galanin is an inhibitory (“off-switch”) neuropeptide deeply intertwined with the initiation and maintenance of non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, the foundation of restful slumber. Its calming properties make it a compelling target for sleep-promoting therapies.
Collagen Peptide
Unlike other peptides directly influencing sleep-regulating systems, collagen peptides improve sleep quality through their broader health benefits. Collagen, a structural protein, supports skin, joint, and gut health—all of which can impact sleep indirectly.
Neuropeptide Y (NPY)
Neuropeptide Y is a versatile molecule involved in stress response, appetite regulation, and circadian rhythm modulation. Its calming influence on the central nervous system makes it a potential ally in the fight against sleep disorders rooted in stress and anxiety.
Side Effects of Medications for Weight Loss
Just like any medication, weight loss drugs also come with the possibility of side effects. The most common side effects of many of these medications include:
- Stomach pain or constipation
- Diarrhea
- Nausea
- Vomiting
Some, like liraglutide and naltrexone-bupropion, may cause an increased heart rate or headaches.
Liraglutide and semaglutide may also increase the risk of pancreatitis (swelling of the pancreas). You may also have a higher risk of developing tumors or thyroid cancer when using liraglutide or semaglutide, although these serious side effects are very rare.
What is Lorem Ipsum?
Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged.
What is Lorem Ipsum?
Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged.
What is Lorem Ipsum?
Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged.
Weight Loss Treatments
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order nowHow Effective Are Weight Loss Medications?
These weight loss drugs are all available with a prescription from a healthcare professional, but how effective are they really?
- One study on Wegovy found that when people without diabetes took 2.4 mg of semaglutide weekly they lost more weight — almost a 15 percent average decrease in weight — than people who took a placebo.
- Metformin has also demonstrated clinically significant weight loss. A 2020 meta-analysis of 21 trials testing metformin found the drug had a modest impact on lowering BMI, especially for those who are considered to have obesity.
- A smaller study on metformin also found that the average amount of weight lost in 154 patients was between 5.6 and 7 kgs (that’s roughly between 13 and 15 pounds).
It’s also worth mentioning cost here — if you can’t afford the drug you need to take, it’s effectiveness essentially drops to zero percent. That said, there’s some wide price disparity between weight loss drugs.
For instance, injectables like Ozempic and Wegovy are generally more expensive than metformin — namely because metformin is a generic medication that’s been around for decades, and Ozempic and Wegovy are newer.
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