Losing weight is a lifelong commitment, and it can be difficult to do it alone. Our accredited and board-certified weight management team offers safe, supportive care at the only comprehensive weight loss program in mid-Missouri.
Medical weight loss, or medically supervised weight loss, is a nonsurgical treatment option for people who need help with more than diet and exercise to lose weight.
Our commitment to you and your weight loss journey means our care goes well beyond your treatment or procedure. That includes nutrition counseling, health evaluations, educational classes, support groups, treatment of weight-related issues and follow-ups long after you complete your program to help you be successful.
Follow-up care is focused on what works best for you, which means we offer telehealth follow-up appointments to help patients who visit us from outside Columbia or Jefferson City.
How Do Weight Loss Medications Work?
Prescription medications for weight loss can be put in two groups: Oral medications and injectable medications. They generally affect your body in three ways, and some medications achieve more than one of these effects at a time:
- Helping you feel full for longer
- Reducing or preventing food cravings and appetite, or “food noise”
- Helping you feel full faster
These medications only work for as long as you take them, so it is important to know that weight loss drugs are a lifelong commitment. At MU Health Care, these medications are one part of our weight loss management services to help people with obesity and the associated health conditions.
Weight Loss Medications at MU Health Care
Oral weight loss medications work by decreasing your appetite and cravings for food. MU Health Care offers several weight loss pills, including:
- Phentermine, a stimulant, which has been used since the 1970s to suppress appetite
- Phentermine-topiramate, which combines a stimulant and an antiseizure medication, suppresses appetite and can be more effective for some patients than phentermine alone
- Bupropion-naltrexone, which combines drugs used to treat depression and opiate addiction and reduces appetite and food cravings
Injectable weight loss drugs are a class of medication called glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) antagonists. Developed to treat Type 2 diabetes, these drugs are a longer-lasting version of the hormones your body normally creates after eating. These medications reduce food cravings and help you feel fuller longer by slowing the speed at which your body digests food. MU Health Care offers the three drugs that are FDA-approved for medical weight loss:
- Tirzepatide
- Semaglutide
- Liraglutide
Do I Qualify for Weight Loss Medications?
Candidates for medical weight loss must meet one of the following criteria:
- Have a body mass index (BMI) of 27 or greater with other health conditions associated with weight
- Have a BMI of 30 or greater without health conditions associated with weight
Some insurance providers have different qualifying guidelines, and our weight loss team can help you understand your coverage and work with your insurer to navigate the process if needed.
Conditions frequently associated with candidates for medical weight loss include:
- Heart and vascular conditions including cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure (hypertension) and high cholesterol (hyperlipidemia)
- Joint pain or osteoarthritis
- Obstructive sleep apnea
- Type 2 diabetes
If you qualify for medical weight loss, your weight loss team will recommend the best option for you based on your medical history and insurance coverage. If you need more information about insurance coverage, please call 573-882-5673, and our team will work with you to help you understand your benefits and costs.
What Sets Us Apart
Our weight management team is staffed with accredited and board-certified experts in weight management and metabolism, with extra training in medical weight loss, and are experts in the safest and most up-to-date weight management treatments.
Our weight management team starts by getting to know each patient, including your weight loss goals and your diet and exercise habits. A Weight Management and Metabolic Center provider will review your medical history with you and talk about any medications you currently take. Using this information, they will discuss all your weight loss options with you, including whether to recommend medical weight loss or another option, such as weight loss surgery.
Patients here also have easy referral access to specialists in many other areas of medicine and, if necessary, have easy access to coordinated care for related conditions such as high blood pressure, sleep apnea and Type 2 diabetes.
How Much Weight Will I Lose?
Everyone is different, and every method is different. Weight loss surgery is still the most effective treatment option for weight loss, but it may not be right for everyone. In most cases, medical weight loss patients lose 5-15% of their total body weight. Medical weight loss will not help you lose weight without other important lifestyle and behavior changes.
Routine follow-up appointments are very important to monitor your weight loss, and to provide continued support, education and accountability to help you take full advantage of treatment.
Our weight management team uses registered dietitians to help you establish or stick with healthy eating habits. Patients who undergo both surgical and nonsurgical weight loss treatments may also benefit from behavioral therapy, and our team will work with you to set up care when appropriate.
Are Weight Loss Medications Safe?
When prescribed by a doctor and used as directed, medical weight loss is generally very safe. If your medical history or current medications might lead to serious health problems, your doctor will recommend a different treatment option.
