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At ZOOM Pharmacy, many of our customers have their weight loss medicines, like Duromine (phentermine), Xenical (orlistat) or Saxenda (liraglutide), delivered direct to their door via our online medicine delivery service.
This article will cover some of the common questions many New Zealanders have asked our Lead Pharmacist Din Redzepagic, and the ZOOM Pharmacy team, about these medications.
If you have other significant weight-related health issues, such as diabetes or sleep apnoea, your doctor might prescribe weight loss medication if your BMI is 27 – 30 kg/m2.
Duromine (phentermine) and Xenical (orlistat) are the only 2 prescription medicine pills (capsules) approved for use in New Zealand. Saxenda (liraglutide) is a self-injected medication which is also now available in NZ.
These prescription medicines can help people lose a modest amount of weight.
However, weight loss medicines should always be used together with a medically controlled diet, exercise, and other lifestyle changes. They will not be effective when used on their own.
Used this way, the medication will usually help people lose more weight than they would otherwise lose with lifestyle changes alone.
Even a modest weight loss (5% – 10% of your body weight) can have important health benefits such as better blood pressure, improved heart health and cholesterol levels, decreased risk for diabetes, a better night’s sleep, decreased risk for many types of cancer, and more energy – just to name a few.
Your doctor will monitor the effectiveness of your medication closely. If it is not helping you lose at least 5% of your body weight, then your doctor is likely to stop this treatment.
Like all medicines, prescription weight loss pills can have unwanted side effects. These can range from mild to (in rare cases) severe.
If you have been prescribed a weight loss medication, your doctor has weighed up the benefits you might gain against the risks of side-effects.
Your doctor will also monitor you closely for side effects. You should always let your doctor or pharmacist know if you are concerned, feeling unwell, or are suffering worrying side effects.
You can find detailed information on the safe use and possible side-effects of each medication here:
And of course, as with all prescription medicines, they should only be taken as directed by your doctor or pharmacist.
ZOOM Pharmacy can supply prescription weight loss medicines (such as Duromine, Xenical or Saxenda), provided you have a prescription from your healthcare practitioner. Simply ask your provider to send your prescription directly to ZOOM Pharmacy, and the team will follow up with you regarding your order.
If you do not have a prescription, then you can shop online for our full range of weight management products from the biggest brands including Optifast, Optislim, FastFX and SlimFit.
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