Bontril is an appetite suppressant. This means it decreases the appetite, which helps you eat less food. When hunger or appetite is diminished, it is easier to lose weight.

Healthy eating and exercise alone help most people lose weight slowly, but steadily. Some people need extra help, however, in both starting and maintaining a weight loss program. Bontril can jumpstart weight loss by getting rid of the first troublesome pounds.

Once results are seen, people become motivated to eat right and exercise regularly in order to see the desired results more quickly. Bontril should be part of an overall weight loss program that includes a healthy, low-fat diet and an exercise regime that includes at least 5 days of aerobic activity a week for 30 minutes or more each session.

The effect of Bontril is a "short-term" diet therapy. This means the effects of the drug begin diminishing after several weeks. Bontril should be used to help start a weight loss program and then its usage should be tapered off as healthier eating habits are learned. Sticking with those newly developed healthy habits means an individual is more likely to keep losing weight at a steady rate—even after stopping Bontril.