Study Looks at Approaches to Prescribing Obesity Medications for Older Adults

MONDAY, Nov. 9, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Approaches to prescribing obesity medications for older adults are discussed in an article published online Oct. 29 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Elias S. Wisdom, from the Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, and colleagues describe a framework for safe prescribing of obesity medications for older adults.

The authors note that in older adults, clinical use of incretin-based weight loss medications is expanding, potentially carrying increased risks for lean mass loss, frailty, dehydration, and functional decline. For older adults, safe prescribing requires assessment of functional status, nutritional adequacy, and cognitive capacity before treatment. Treatment should be provided in conjunction with interventions such as resistance training and adequate dietary protein intake, the authors recommend. A team-based approach involving a registered dietitian, physical therapist, fitness trainer, and behavioral health professional is suggested as the most appropriate approach for some older adults. A comprehensive plan can reduce risk and allow for monitoring of treatment response. During transitions of care, including the perioperative period and admission to a skilled nursing facility, clinicians should consider use of these medications. Based on a person”s health or when functional status changes significantly, these medications may need to be held or discontinued.

“Clinicians are encouraged to use this framework as a preprescribing checklist and an ongoing tool, recognizing that the risk-benefit calculation may shift substantially as a patient”s functional status evolves over time,” the authors write.

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