Who can take weight-loss drugs?

Your health care provider may suggest a weight-loss drug for you in some cases. These include if you haven't been able to lose weight through diet and exercise and your:

• Body mass index (BMI) is greater than 30. This means you're living with a condition that involves having too much body fat, called obesity.
• BMI is greater than 27. You also have a serious medical problem linked to obesity, such as diabetes or high blood pressure.

Before choosing a medicine for you, your health care provider thinks about your history and health challenges. Then your provider talks with you about the pros and cons of prescription weight-loss drugs.

These drugs aren't for everyone. For example, you shouldn't take prescription weight-loss drugs if you're trying to get pregnant, are pregnant or are breastfeeding.