E85: Obesity Medicine: Medication: Phentermine/Topiramate ER (Qsymia) and Naltrexone/Bupropion (Contrave)

Today I will continue with weight loss medications, and we will focus on two of the newer options. First the phentermine/topiramate ER combination pill known as Qsymia. Then I will talk about the naltrexone/bupropion combination pill known as Contrave. You may be thinking to yourself, why even bother with these now that GLP1 medications are so effective and everyone is using them? Well, these medications definitely have their place and they are not as straightforward as you may think they are. There is a lot of nuance that you can use in prescribing them, and there are a number of things that you want to be careful about as well. These can be great for those where GLP1s are not an option, for those that have comorbid conditions in which these medications also treat, and also they are often needed prior to GLP1s if you are trying to get insurance to cover the GLP1, so definitely do not miss this one!