North Star Family Medicine works with patients to address their weight concerns.
We prescribe medications based on your weight loss goals. All patients, regardless of the weight loss goals, are educated on the importance of a healthy diet and exercise to help lose and maintain weight loss. Patients are referred to a nutritionist who assists with dietary goals that are not restrictive and easy to follow. Lifelong lifestyle changes are the foundation for weight management.
Lipo-Mino with Carnitine is an injection which boosts metabolism, enhances energy, and supports fat loss efforts. This is offered to patients who desire to lose a few pounds and when patients taking medications plateau with their weight loss.
For patients with a weight loss goal of 10-20 pounds:
Medication management includes phentermine, dual medications Qsymia (naltrexone-phentermine) and Contrave (naltrexone-bupropion) are types of medications prescribed to help patients’ loss 10-15 pounds.
For patients with a weight loss goal of greater than 20 pounds:
Medication management for weight loss includes semaglutide (Wegovy) or tirzepatide (Zepbound/Mounjaro). Semaglutid e is a GLP-1 inhibitor which helps decrease appetite by binding to the GLP-1 Receptors and telling the brain you are “full”. Tirzepatide is a GLP-1/GIP inhibitor which, in addition to decreasing your appetite by binding to the GLP-1 receptor, also work to balance fat metabolism. Both medications, when used with appropriate diet and exercise changes, work well to help patient lose significant weight. Side effects include nausea, constipation, and abdominal cramping.
For patients taking these medications, we monitor labs and weight loss closely as the medications are titrated to ensure patients are tolerating them well. More importantly, we work with patients to determine what is covered by insurance, submit prior authorization paperwork, and send a prescription to the appropriate pharmacy.
The providers at North Star Family Medicine support medical management of weight loss to help improve health, decrease risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and assist patient lose weight in a safely and consistently.
