Request for slimming tablets

doi:10.1136/bmj.a1287

Published 24 October 2008, doi:10.1136/bmj.a1287
Cite this as: BMJ 2008;337:a1287

Practice

Request for slimming tablets

S W Mercer, professor of primary care research¹, M E J Lean, professor of human nutrition²

¹ General Practice and Primary Care, Division of Community-based Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 9LX, ² Human Nutrition, Division of Developmental Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Glasgow

Correspondence to: S Mercer s.mercer@clinmed.gla.ac.uk

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

A 43 year old hairdresser who has recently moved into the areaafter a divorce asks you for slimming pills. Medical recordsfrom her previous GP shows that she rarely consults doctors.

Optimal management of obesity combines diet, exercise, lifestyleadvice, and, where necessary, pharmacotherapy and surgery. Currentdrugs used in weight management are not the "slimming pills"used many years ago. However, they are all expensive and shouldbe used rationally within structured management programmes.Shared care between the GP and a practice nurse trained in weightmanagement may make the management of obesity in primary caremore feasible.

Whether the patient looks overweight or not, find out why sheis requesting the pills. Often patients will present becauseof an impending social or personal event (a wedding or holiday).What exactly does she know about slimming tablets? Where didthe information come from? What does she expect from . . . [Full text of this article]

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