"in 2007, i had bariatric surgery and had the lap band installed. it was very successful. i lost about 100 pounds kept it off over more than 5 years but because my surgeon no longer practiced lap band surgery i had to find a new surgeon to adjust my band so i gained some weight. i did finally find a practicing doctor in my town to take me in but later developed a dilated esophagus which would only allow slight adjustments and began to slowly gain more weight. i had become dependent on the restriction of the band. my doctor suggested qsymia. at first i was resistant. i didn&#039;t want to start taking more medication because unless i could take it permanently i knew it would not work permanently. he stated that this is long term. i have lost nearly 40 lbs."