Metformin (Glucophage) is approved for use in patients with diabetes but it is not a weight loss medication. In comparison with some other traditional diabetes therapies, which might result in weight gain, Metformin has been shown to be associated with a small amount of weight loss. The indication for prescribing Metformin is to treat the insulin resistance associated with Type 2 diabetes and not for weight control in healthy overweight people.

Much more dramatic is the weight loss achieved in people with Type 2 diabetes prescribed the medication based on incretin hormones. Some examples of these treatments include the brands known as the daily injectable ,  Victoza, and the weekly injectables Trulicity and Ozempic.