Group lifestyle modification should be prescribed along with weight-loss medication to obese patients trying to lose weight, said Thomas A. Wadden, Ph.D., of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, and his colleagues.
In a 1-year trial, 55 patients were randomized to sibutramine (Meridia) alone. Another 55 were treated with lifestyle modification alone, attending sessions weekly until week 18, then twice a month thereafter, as well as completing daily food logs. Also, 60 patients received both treatments, and 54 received sibutramine and eight brief therapy sessions with a primary care provider who examined their daily food logs (N. Engl. J. Med. 2005;353:2111–20).
At 1 year, subjects who received combined therapy lost a mean of 12.1 kg, significantly more than the other groups.
The sibutramine plus brief therapy group lost 7.5 kg, the lifestyle modification group lost 6.7 kg, and those taking only sibutramine lost 5.0 kg, the investigators said.