Similarly, in clinical trials dropout rates have often been quite high. Compounding the problem of weight management has been a rather universal negative bias on the part of physicians to prescribing anorexiant medications. It was previously generally held that these agents were either only effective in the short term or not at all. Additionally, there has always been concern about the potential adverse effects of anorexiants as well as their potential for abuse. Physicians who used appetite suppressants often prescribed them for only four to six weeks which was inappropriate in the management of a chronic condition.