SMART Use of Medication for the Treatment of Adolescent Severe Obesity

LSMT will consist of both in-person and by telephone sessions delivered throughout the entirety of the 48-week intervention phase. Each session will last 30-60 minutes. A trained study coordinator (a registered dietician or someone trained by our registered dietician) will delivery this therapy which consists of counseling using education, goal setting and barrier reduction. Topics covered will include calories, tracking, healthy food choices, reducing high fat, added sugar foods, setting goals and portions, changing the quality of your diet, volumetrics, purposeful activity, quick and easy meals, problem solving, food cues and eating patterns, emotional eating, accurate tracking, eating away from home, unhelpful thoughts, structured menus and the role of protein, social cues, managing stress, slips and relapse prevention, long-term physical activity and overcoming obstacles, high-risk situation and keys to success, motivation and looking to the future (long-term plans).

Phentermine will be started only if a participant does not lose 5% of BMI after 12 or 24 weeks of LSMT depending on their random assignment. Subjects will take 15 mg of phentermine every morning for 12 weeks at which time there will be an assessment of weight loss. Subjects who achieve 5% or more BMI reduction after 12 weeks of phentermine will continue 15 mg every morning for the remainder of the study (through week 48) along with their LSMT.

Participants who do no not achieve at least 5% BMI reduction after 12 weeks of phentermine+LSMT will be re-randomized 1:1 to either topiramate+phentermine+LSMT or topiramate+placebo+LSMT. Topiramate dosing will begin at 50 mg every morning for the first 7 days, and then increase to 100 mg every morning through week 48. At the end of week 48 the taper off will be 50 mg every morning for 7 days and then discontinue.