Drugs and appetite

Abstract

Although both appetite suppressants and stimulants may have a small therapeutic role, the aim in both obese and underweight patients should above all be first to identify and then to correct the primary dietary abnormality and the root causes of the problem responsible for the condition being treated. This will usually (and always in obesity) mean detailed dietary reeducation, and demands perseverance and patience on the part of the physician and the ancillary medical staff concerned. The different agents are discussed.