An Inside Look at Medications for ACE-Related Weight Gain

The ACE Study shows that Adverse Childhood Experiences can cause higher chances of depression and anxiety, leading to weight gain if food is used to cope.

When people seek a weight loss solution, it makes sense to examine the reasonwhy they’ve gained weight in the first place. We’ve found over decades of research and work in the field that, when you look deep enough, it’s usually not just poor eating habits or a lack of exercise (those are symptoms!).

The ACE assessment and screening process is becoming more popular because the public is recognizing the importance of finding what’s responsible for disease and illness in the first place. Finally, we’re acknowledging that symptom-based, band-aid approaches to health simply aren’t working because they don’t address the cause of our pain—unresolved ACEs and the resulting toxic stress.

At Relish Life, we help people lose weight and keep it off in a customized way that leads with their unique psychology and physiology. For those who qualify, we prescribe medications proven to help.

Our medications can be divided into two groups: Neurochemical & Metabolic.

#1: Neurochemical

Bupropion is most commonly used for smoking cessation and depression; however, it has shown to be incredibly effective for weight loss in some patients by preventing the uptake of dopamine, the pleasure hormone that is triggered with food. Naltrexone helps regulate your appetite and normalize your metabolism, matching your appetite to resting energy expenditures, and blocking the brain’s addictive process with food.

Contrave is FDA-approved for weight loss and is a combination of bupropion and naltrexone, and we’ve seen an average of 12-15% loss of body weight with this medication.

Naltrexone and bupropion work on the neurochemical parts of the brain and were approved by the FDA in 2014 specifically for weight loss. Together, they do an excellent job of curbing food impulses and cravings, and healing addictive relationships with food.

#2: Metabolic

Semaglutide is a powerhorse medication that works on the metabolic issues that arise because of weight gain.

For those who have been heavy for a long time, insulin-resistance is common. When this occurs, the pancreas becomes less efficient and the production of insulin needs to be stimulated so sugars can be processed and absorbed more effectively. Semaglutide supports this process and is proven to result in up to 15-20% weight loss.

Why medication?

We find many patients have developed food addictions to cope with the challenging feelings of depression and anxiety, and certain medications work to balance the chemicals in the brain responsible for those ACE-related struggles.

When used as part of our comprehensive weight loss program, these medications work to make the psychological, nutrition, and fitness elements we provide more effective because the brain is quite literally more receptive to the gradual changes we introduce.

When the urges of food addiction and the heaviness of depression are lifted, only then can sustainable weight loss become possible.

Otherwise, it’s an uphill battle against oneself, leading to deeper feelings of frustration and resignation.

Many people are hesitant to use medications for weight loss—and for good reason. The “diet pills'' we commonly hear about are unsafe diuretics or stimulants, and general doctors and the public are typically behind on the latest science around other medications for weight loss.

To get up to speed on the latest science, Our Relish Life founders, Liz Dickinson and Shannon Shearn, and our Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Al Ray, are hosting weekly webinars on the medications we prescribe at Relish Life and how they differ from the “diet pills” of the past.

There will be a Q&A segment at the end to get your questions answered so you can move forward on your weight loss journey with clarity and confidence. We encourage you to attend and share this with anyone you know who’s curious about medication for weight loss.

CLICK HERE TO RSVP TO OUR NEXT WEBINAR

In the webinar, you’ll learn:

See you there!