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 Because obesity is a chronic condition, both physician and patient need to realize that successful treatment of comorbidities requires a lifelong commitment to lowering or managing the patient’s BMI level and, therefore, obesity-related risk factors. Maintaining frequent follow-up visits is important for monitoring initial goals, as well as for ensuring successful weight-loss outcomes. Patients should be seen within 2 to 4 weeks of initial treatment, and then every 4 weeks for the first 3 months. Of course, more-frequent visits may be necessary if the patient experiences adverse effects or other complications.41 Be sure to encourage patients to call with any questions or problems they are having (especially those related to adverse effects of XENICAL) – and to stop by the office between regular appointments for a simple weight check performed by your office staff. Although one cannot predict exactly how much weight a patient taking XENICAL as part of a weight-loss regimen will lose or how long it will take to meet weight-loss goals, results from a clinical trial show that most weight loss occurs in the first 6 months of treatment. If the patient reaches a plateau before achieving the weight-loss goal, you may need to adjust the patient’s activity level or caloric requirement or re-evaluate the patient’s adherence to the prescribed treatment regimen. To help patients stay focused on the importance of their goal, be sure to share any positive health improvements resulting from their weight loss during office visits. | |||||||
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