Talking to primary care doctor about weight loss medication

Medical Q&A [Moderated]
1

Hi,

Been reading/using BBM content for a while now and after seeing videos like this one I’m considering asking a PCP about these medications. For background, I’m a 25 year old white male, 5’9’', ~198 pounds, so BMI ~29.2. My waistline is ~37 in. Although I think these measurements mean I’m barely not technically considered obese anymore, I still want to continue losing quite a bit of weight to reduce my waistline to low 30s and also reach a BMI in the healthy range, if that is advisable. (My starting weight was ~217 ish lbs.) I have no obesity-related complications that I’m aware of.

I’ve been reducing my weight and waistline pretty slowly since late December 2021 or so through lifestyle modifications at around 0.5-1.0 lbs / week most of the time. Faster rates of loss have been pretty difficult to adhere to, and the current rate is also starting to feel more difficult. At this point I would greatly appreciate something to help this change.

Considering my background above, does it make sense for someone in my position to ask a doctor about these medications, or are they only advisable for those with higher weight and complications? Not sure what the possible risks may be; also to be honest I’m not even sure if it would be worth my time to schedule an appointment and ask a doctor or if I’d just be shooed away.

Thanks a lot for your time.
-Jon

2

Hi there,

It’s hard to predict exactly how a consultation with a physician would go on this question. I will say that for someone in your demographic/BMI/waist range in the US, it is unlikely that insurance would cover the cost of any of the most effective weight loss agents, particularly if you do not have health complications related to excess body fat (like diabetes, for example). There are other ways to “work around” this, such as prescribing some of the combination branded products as their separate generic components, etc., although not all primary care physicians may be knowledgable/comfortable doing this. If you wanted to pursue this route, seeking out someone who specifically practices obesity medicine (or telemedicine) would probably be the best bet.

3

Hi Austin,

Thanks very much for the advice. I think I’ll try to make some modifications to my diet to improve “adhere-ability” in that case.