Question: My wife is quite overweight and she wants to try the new weight loss drug Qysmia. Do you have confidence this drug is safe? Wouldn’t it be better to wait until it has been used for a while to see if there are problems with this medication?

Dr. Cwynar's answer:
I am very impressed with Qsymia and am one of the leading prescribers of this weight loss medication. Although commercially available for only a short time, the ingredients of Qsymia have been used for several decades. Be sure that your physician has experience with it because the dosing can be tricky. I'm a big fan, and thus far my patients have had no issues with this terrific medication. They have gotten excellent results. It's essentially a combination of a headache medicine called topamax, and a very small amount of phentermine, a stimulant that suppresses appetite. It works on the brain to control the appetite center.