Obesity drugs for children

Can obesity treatment drugs be used in children? I'm starting to lose hope in helping him lose weight, I'm forbidding him to eat. "

These were the words, of a mother of an obese child.

So I started researching and reading about the latest developments in the treatment of obesity in children; So I give her a full enough answer.

If you are also, dear mother, worrying about losing your child’s excess weight, then here is your place. We at Health Online are always keen on the health and safety of our children, and you will get to know about obesity medicines in children.

When can they use medicines to treat obesity in children?

There is some recent information regarding the use of pediatric obesity medications, which are approved for use by the US Food and Drug Administration for adults.

Just as with adults, the medicines for treating obesity in children give different effects depending on the condition of the child, and the child may suffer the same side effects that may appear in adults.

Unfortunately, following a healthy lifestyle and exercising, may not give the desired result in cases of severe obesity; The doctor is forced to prescribe medicines to treat obesity in children.

This is because of the health complications associated with obesity and being overweight that negatively affect the life of the child and have a positive impact in old age.

Licensed Pediatric Obesity Drugs

There are only a few FDA-approved medications for use in children, and this has caused many adult obesity medications for children to be off-label use.

Examples of these drugs:

• Orlistat

It is approved for long-term use for up to a year.

• liraglutide

The US Food and Drug Administration has granted permission for use in children from 12 years of age.

phentermine

 Phentermine is a drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration in the United States for use over 16 years of age.

Phenteramine affects serotonin and dopamine which helps curb appetite, but it has serious side effects, such as,

1. Hypertension.
2. Cardiovascular disease.
3. glaucoma.
4. high heart rate.
5. sleep disturbances.

These side effects led to Phentermine subsequently being banned in the United States.

Orlistat is a pediatric obesity drug

Orlistat works as a drug to treat childhood obesity by inhibiting the lipase enzyme found in the intestines and reducing the absorption of fats from the diet.

Orlistat is an FDA-approved weight loss drug

Orlistat side effects:

1. Abdominal pain.
2. Oily stool.
3. Urgent need to defecate with relative loss of bowel control.
4. Abdominal bloating.
5. Deficiency in fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamins A, K, D, and E.

Orlistat Dosage

120 mg three times daily.

How to take orlistat

It is preferable to take Orlistat before a meal. If your child does not eat his meal or the meal is fat-free, you can skip the Orlistat dose in this case.

Liraglutide is a drug for the treatment of obesity in children

Liraglutide is an FDA-approved anti-obesity drug for children over 12 years of age.

Liraglutide is recommended to be used in conjunction with physical activity and an appropriate diet.

Liraglutide binds to the GLP1 (glucagon-like peptide 1) receptor and stimulates insulin secretion, inhibits glucagon secretion, slows the rate of gastric emptying, and promotes satiety after eating.

side effects

Gastrointestinal side effects are common and about 10% of people stop using liraglutide because of them, such as:

• nausea.
• diarrhea.
• constipation.

A study was also conducted on 3000 obese people who had health complications such as high blood pressure or diabetes. Or cholesterol, the study showed that after using liraglutide for a year, it led to a loss of 4 to 6 additional kilograms compared to people who relied solely on diet and exercise.

Liraglutide also helps reduce abdominal and waist circumference, nd improves blood pressure results, ad A1c for diabetic patients.

How to take liraglutide

Liraglutide is injected subcutaneously at any time without the need to coincide with a meal.

Start with a dose of 0.6 mg per day and increase the dose by 0.6 mg per week until the target dose of 3 mg per day is reached.

Laboratory experiments on mice showed that they developed a thyroid tumor after taking liraglutide, but it is not known whether liraglutide causes this to humans or not. Therefore, if the patient is to use liraglutide, he should be made aware of the symptoms of a thyroid tumor such as a lump in the neck below the chin on the thyroid gland, hoarseness of voice, and difficulty breathing.

A calcitonin level test or thyroid ultrasound is recommended as a routine procedure while using liraglutide.

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