Many people need to lose weight for health reasons and so that they feel better. Having excess weight can affect your energy levels and contribute to diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and even certain types of cancer. Weight loss is not a new issue. However, there are new therapies for weight loss which work for many people.
At Hampstead Internal Medicine our first recommendations for weight loss are always diet and exercise. If you are able to become more active and burn more calories than you eat, that is a great, side effect free way to improve your health. With significant weight loss we often see people are able to take less medication and feel better.
Diet and exercise do not work for everyone. There are several medicines which can curb appetite and help people lose weight. This class of medicines, GLP-1 agonists, have been around for over 10 years. They were originally approved to treat diabetes, but they can help people lose weight even if they do not have diabetes. They are administered in several forms, but the most popular forms are once weekly shots. These are known by several brand names: Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, Zepbound, and others.
They do have side effects and they are not for everyone. If you are considering taking these meds we will talk to you abount potential interactions. It is not uncommon at all for people to have nausea or diarrhea when they start these meds. These symptoms usually, but not always, get better in a week or two.
Also, these meds are very expensive. At Hampstead Internal Medicine, our care managers have lots of experience helping to get these medicines approved by insurance. Even then, it can take time and they are not always approved. Usually, between insurance and manufactuer coupons, we are able to find a solution.
For many people these medicines are life changing. If you are interested in help losing weight, or would like to discuss options, please give us a call at 910 230 5661
Drug representatives can be a source of information for new drugs and emerging therapies. However, their job is to sell these drugs. They often offer lunches or financial rewards to physicians or practices for prescribing their drugs.
At Hampstead Internal Medicine the doctors will prescribe, the safest, most effective, and most cost-effective treatment for your condition - without any undue influence from salespeople. For this reason, we do not accept ANY financial benefits or services from pharmaceutical representatives. We stay up to date by getting our education each year from unbiased programs. This way, you can be sure each time we recommend a medicine, we are doing it with your best interest at heart.
Medications are complex and some people take too many medications. This causes unwanted side effects or interactions. The fewer pills you take, usually the better. At Hampstead Internal Medicine our doctors will offer you alternatives to taking medications, or, if medications are required, we will work with you to use as few medications as possible, and with the fewest side effects.
Hampstead Internal Medicine uses medication management to manage one or more of the following conditions:
Properly managing these conditions with lifestyle changes or medications is the best way to reduce your risk of health complications, such as a heart attack, stroke, organ or nerve damage, or severe allergic reactions.
We have been doing this a long time. We know what usually works. Still, each person is different, and if what usually works is not just right for you, we will work with you to find a therapy that fits your needs.
We may order on-site urine or blood tests, heart function tests, allergy or asthma testing, imaging procedures, or additional diagnostic tests. We use the results to determine which medications — if any — are best for you.
After customizing a treatment plan, Hampstead Internal Medicine doctors may recommend over-the-counter medications, dietary supplements, lifestyle changes, prescription medications, or a combination of treatments to help you manage an illness or disease.
As part of your medical care, we follow up with you routinely to ensure your treatment effectively eliminates symptoms and keeps the risk of complications as low as possible. By making healthy lifestyle changes, you may be able to take lower medication dosages, reduce the number of medications you need, or eliminate the need for medicine entirely.
Schedule a consultation at Hampstead Internal Medicine by phone or email today to take advantage of superior medication management.