Weight Loss

Many people don’t associate pharmacies with weight loss, but there are many ways that Peninsula Compounding Pharmacy can assist you with your weight loss goals.

Compounding Can Help with Weight Loss by Maintaining your Thyroid Levels

Hypothyroidism is a very common condition, especially in older women. When you have low levels of thyroid hormone, you’ll experience fatigue, fluid retention, constipation, sore joints and muscles, depression, slowed metabolism, and weight gain.

Peninsula Compounding can help with these issues by supplying your body with a series of natural thyroid hormones to balance your energy and heighten your metabolism. General prescriptions for synthetic thyroid hormones make an effort to combat the symptoms of hypothyroidism that lead to weight gain. However, compounding pharmacies are able to pinpoint your thyroid’s needs more precisely.

Did you know your body has a natural set point for your weight? 

The “set point” is your brain’s target weight for your body. Just as the body works to maintain a fairly standard temperature of 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit, it also works to maintain a body weight that is physiologically comfortable.

The set point is maintained by the hypothalamus, and is often genetically influenced. However, a number of things can cause the set point to change, moving your normal weight to a higher number on the scale, and thus sabotaging your weight loss efforts

Causes of Set Point Malfunction

One of the more common causes of set point malfunction is aggressive or yo-yo dieting. Calorie restrictive diets can actually slow thyroid function, resulting in a slower metabolism. Illnesses such as chronic fatigue or fibromyalgia can also cause the set point to malfunction. Some medications can cause the set point to increase, including common antidepressants such as Paxil, Celexa, Zoloft and Lexapro, anti-convulsant medications, blood pressure medications, anti-seizure or pain medications such as Neurontin or Lyrica, birth control pills, synthetic hormone replacement, and diabetic medications that stimulate insulin secretion, such as glyburide and Amaryll.

The set point can also increase as a natural effect of aging. However, this cause is typically related to hormone decline, which can be successfully treated.

Correcting an Elevated Set Point

Fortunately, there are solutions that can help to lower your body’s set point to a more acceptable number, and Peninsula Compounding Pharmacy can help you with many of these solutions. These include thyroid hormone optimization, consistency in diet and exercise levels, and aggressive management of conditions such as chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, chronic infections, and chronic inflammation

Compounded Medications Can Help

In addition, there are now compounded medications to lower the set point and increase weight loss success. The success of low dose naltrexone (only available at compounding pharmacies like Peninsula Compounding) for weight loss is greatly enhanced when combined with the common antidepressant, Wellbutrin. Patients may lose an average of a half pound per week, and experience reduced appetite and cravings. 

We also have other medications that may be used to assist in your weight loss goals. 

Patients, find a prescriber who can help.