research

[chriscon]

Hi, I'm in the third year of my degree in nutrition and dietetics. My dissertation is on the community pharmacist's knowledge and understanding of weight management/loss, including the use of over the counter Orlistat. I would really appreciate some interest from people who would be willing to be interviewed for my study. Please contact me if you are or would like more information. Thanks

[bobbin]

Hi, I'm in the third year of my degree in nutrition and dietetics. My dissertation is on the community pharmacist's knowledge and understanding of weight management/loss, including the use of over the counter Orlistat. I would really appreciate some interest from people who would be willing to be interviewed for my study. Please contact me if you are or would like more information. Thanks

Community pharmacists are not generally experts in weight management - it's not really our area. Nevertheless, certain pharmacy chains such as Rowlands have their own weight management schemes eg. Celebrity Slim.

Celebrity Slim

[chriscon]

Rather then the celebrity body, the research is based around the impact that overweight and obesity has on health and disease.
Pharmacists have the professional knowledge on pharmacotherapy on the treatment to assist in weight management/loss

[DavidS]

Pharmacists have the professional knowledge on pharmacotherapy

Avoid.

[amjon]

What little I know about effective weight management relates more to athletics than community pharmacy. It hinges on avoiding a catabolic state and thus maintaining muscle mass while avoiding weight gain. It is a difficult balance to achieve however I feel it applies to the average person just as much as it applies to an athlete, albeit for slightly different ends. Most, if not all, of the weight management plans aim to drive the body into a severe catabolic state thus achieving striking weight loss initially. Unfortunately this weight loss is not sustainable as the body’s metabolism adapts to starvation resulting in a sudden stop in the initial weight loss. The patient inevitably becomes frustrated and ends up binging on food which in turn is readily stored by the starved metabolism which in turn manifests itself in the dreaded weight gain.
Apart from the waste of money, time and effort repeated exposure to binge diets such as Lipo-slim and Celebrity Trim increases the patients’ blood lipids sharply which can lead to an increase in the formation of atherosclerotic plaques...
Effective weight loss demands a long-term approach; it should be planned over months and if necessary years. It should involve splitting the traditional 3 meals with 5 or more smaller ones thus avoiding a shift into starvation mode by simply keeping ones metabolism constantly ticking over. Other traditional measures such as a shift from simple processed carbohydrates to more complex, fibrous varieties, a reduction in saturated fats and more exercise remain indispensable. Such an approach does not sit well with the vast majority of patients; they want fast results and the easy way out. There is no easy way out.
My post may be bombarded with anecdotal reports of individuals who succeeded on these diets; I’m sure that these people exist just as I’m sure that people who smoke 20 a day from the age of 8 live to 80 – sometimes.
Apart from the aformentioned "fad" diets there are a couple of drugs which aim to reduce weight, namely Orlistat and Sibituraime. Orlistat (aka Xenical/Ali) stops the breakdown and thus absorption in the small intestine. While this sounds great in theory, it only leads to oily stools and embarisingly "fluid" flatulence. It has recently become a pharmacy medicine (ie one can buy it without a prescription from their pharmacist after a clinical assesment). From what I have seen it's reclassification has not boosted it's sale, however it remains a resonably popular prescription medication.
Sibutramine (Reductil) acts directly on the brain via various neurotransmitters to reduce appetite. It has recently been withdrawn from pharmacies as the cardiac risks outweigh the potential benefits.
Finally, the anti diabetic drug Acarbose has been trialled as a potential treament for obesity in the late nineties, unfortuantly results were not promising.
Thats pretty much all I know about weight loss. If you want to get in contact for an interview don't hesisitate in PM'ing me!

[DavidS]

binge diets such as Lipo-slim and Celebrity Trim

lol

Don't forget Be-Someone-Else

[eesha]

I am a pharmacy postgraduate student wanna know
how to become a pharmacist in uk after the course
wat are the available ways????

[johnep]

EEsha. Where are you from? If EU then simply get on a plane. If non EU then OSPAP is route. Dealt with a hundred times on this forum. Just search and you will find.
johnep