Can a Registered Dietitian Prescribe Medication?

By Kayley George, RDN, LD

Floating around the internet, especially in the wellness space, you will see many different health professionals, gurus, coaches, and specialists offering a variety of tips, tricks, and supplements to aid a healthy lifestyle. As we search for the next best remedy to help us with our aches, pains, and goals, it’s important to know who to trust when it comes to this advice.

In this article, we will speak from the perspective of Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs) and solve the lifelong mystery of; can a registered dietitian prescribe medication?

What Is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist?

Let’s first define what an RDN is, especially since the term “nutritionist” gets used more frequently than it should! An RDN is a health professional tasked with helping you achieve your health and wellness goals through nutrition and support.

In order to become a RDN, one must have a bachelor’s degree or higher at an accredited school in the United States, complete 1,200 hours of supervised practice though an accredited program (also known as a dietetic internship), pass a national exam administered by the Commission on Dietetic Registration, and regularly keep up his or her practice with continuing education courses.

While the term “nutritionist” or “health coach” is used regularly in the wellness sphere, the moniker “Registered Dietitian Nutritionist” can only be used by those that complete this rigorous coursework.

Can A Dietitian Write Prescriptions or Prescribe Medication?

The general answer to this question is no, RDNs cannot write prescriptions. Only licensed MDs (doctors) can own a prescription pad and write a prescription.

On top of this, you should definitely be wary of any unlicensed person who tells you what medication to purchase, even if it's just over-the-counter! When it comes to medical prescriptions, that is a question and discussion to have with your primary care physician or specialist (with an MD next to their name).

What Medication Can a Registered Dietitian Prescribe or Recommend?

What RDNs can do is be the expert of your nutrition and wellness. While MDs are incredibly accomplished and thorough, nutrition was one of many classes that they took in their long coursework to become a doctor.

The entire RDN education is nutrition-focused, meaning that if your main goals are to improve your health through your dietary choices, going to an RDN is the best option for you. Many chronic diseases, like obesity, diabetes, cancer, and heart disease, are linked to poor nutrition, so it’s important that you prioritize your nutrition and learn what dietary preferences work best for your body.

What an RDN can “prescribe” are meal plan and supplement recommendations that will fill in the gaps in your nutrition. An MD takes care of the big picture, while an RDN focuses specifically on how improving your food choices can improve your life!

Can a Dietitian Prescribe Supplements?

Registered Dietitian Nutritionists can make recommendations about supplements, specifically vitamins and minerals. No matter how hard you try to be as diverse and healthy in your food choices, it is very rare that a person can hit every single vitamin, phytochemical, mineral, and macronutrient requirement in their diet.

Factor in dietary preferences, allergies and intolerances, convenience or accessibility of certain foods, and poor absorption of nutrients, and it becomes very clear that we are unable to get all our necessary nutrition from the food we eat.

Because RDNs are tasked with filling in any gaps in your diet, they may recommend certain over-the-counter options to even things out. Recommending certain dietary supplements, specifically vitamins and minerals, is well within the scope of an RDN.

Can a Dietitian Prescribe Diet Pills, Like Phentermine?

The answer is… it depends! Diet pills that require a prescription cannot be prescribed by dietitians.

Prescription diet pills, like phentermine, are not in the scope of a dietitian’s practice. There are over the counter supplements that could be considered “diet pills” or “fat burners” and those are in the scope of what dietitians can prescribe.

However, be wary; diet pills are generally a quick fix and don’t make lasting changes in a person’s lifestyle. If there are behaviors that resulted in weight gain, any weight that is lost on a diet pill will be gained back, if those behaviors aren’t addressed.

Generally, dietitians will only prescribe these over-the-counter supplements if a patient’s health concerns include complications from being overweight, obese, or having an extremely slow metabolism. Any health professional that reaches for diet pills before first addressing their patient’s lifestyle choices might not be the most trustworthy. 

Be Wary…

Registered Dietitian Nutritionists are licensed and monitored very closely by their accreditation board, meaning that if they step outside their scope of practice they could be in danger of losing their license. However, health professionals that aren’t subject to license requirements have total freedom to prescribe whatever over the counter supplements they please.

While the Food and Drug Administration does its best to monitor all the products floating around the wellness market, many supplement companies skirt this oversight by labeling their nutritional supplements as foods, not drugs. That means that there are tons of products in the wellness sphere that have very little regulation, testing, or research.

It is the job of your RDN to ensure the safety and efficacy of the supplements that they are recommending and their education and continuing recertification requirements holds them to a high standard. However, health professionals that don’t have as rigorous of oversight have no restrictions when it comes to recommending these unregulated substances.

Be wary of any unlicensed health professional that “prescribes” over-the-counter supplements and make sure to do your own research no matter what!

Commonly Recommended Nutrition Supplements

Vitamins and minerals are important supplements to help close the gaps in a person’s nutritional profile. They also are safe to be recommended and purchased over the counter!

A great catch-all supplement is a multivitamin. Taking a multivitamin ensures that you hit every necessary vitamin and mineral in one fell swoop.

Another important supplement, especially after this last year, is Vitamin D! Vitamin D is called the “sunshine vitamin” because we get it from sunshine.

However, after a year in quarantine, most people’s Vitamin D levels are especially depleted, and adding a Vitamin D supplement to the daily routine is highly recommended. People that take birth control should look into taking a B-Vitamin complex, as birth control (along with stress) depletes your body’s vitamin B stores.

Vitamin B helps with hormone production and energy, two things that you want to ensure are in working order. Magnesium supports your nerve health and immunity and digestive health.

It tends to be low in diets, so reaching for a supplement will ensure that you are getting all the magnesium your body deserves. Omega-3s are amazing for heart health, but often come with a fishy aftertaste.

Luckily, The Healthy Weight Loss Dietitians found an Omega-3 supplement that gives you the heart healthy goodness without the dreaded “fish burps.” Visit our store for more information!

Can a Registered Dietitian Diagnose Eating Disorders?

This is a very good and layered question. Generally, eating disorders can only be diagnosed by mental health professionals, like psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, or doctors, like primary care physicians.

However, it is well within the scope of a dietitian to refer a patient to either of these health professionals if disordered eating behaviors are evident. If a dietitian notices certain eating behaviors that could negatively impact a patients’ health then it is absolutely their job to suggest that the patient seek answers and provide resources for those answers.

Dietitians are a major part of treatment of eating disorders and are an amazing resource for those in eating disorder recovery. 

Registered dietitians cannot write prescriptions or prescribe medication, but they can help their clients make healthy choices and choose the correct over-the-counter medication to help with weight loss.

If you are looking to improve your wellness, an RDN is a major resource (but not the only resource) in your health journey. While MDs are the only health professionals that can prescribe medication, RDNs are able to prescribe meal plans and make suggestions about which supplements to take to fill in any nutrient gaps.

An RDN’s narrow and specialized focus on nutrition guarantees that they are the best specialist to go to in your search to feel better. RDNs are also a major part of the treatment and recovery of patients with eating disorders. The rigorous certification and continuing education of an RDN ensures that any recommendations they make are safe, tested, and backed by science - book a FREE discovery call with us today to design a personalized meal and supplement plan for you! 

Published on Jun 17, 2021 at 12:25 pm