Physician prescribing of anorexigenics for weight loss in Salt Lake County, Utah

The objective of this survey of primary care physicians in Salt Lake County, Utah, was to determine how many of these providers were prescribing anorexigenics (antiobesity drugs) and to evaluate their knowledge of side effects and drug interactions. A confidential survey was sent to 377 family practice, internal medicine, and obstetrics-gynecology physicians, of whom 236 (62.5%) responded. Of those who answered the survey completely, 146 (65.2%) prescribed anorexigenics to 5107 patients. Family practice physicians, male physicians less than 40 years old, and internal medicine physicians less than 40 years old prescribed anorexigenics more frequently than their counterparts. Female physicians (vs male) and female family practice physicians (vs male family practice physicians) reported a higher proportion of psychiatric comorbidity among patients for whom they prescribed the drugs. Respondents had limited knowledge of side effects and drug interactions of anorexigenics. Better understanding of physicians' prescribing patterns of these agents is relevant for current and future optimal treatment of obesity.