Diet Pills
Weight loss pills and diet drugs are not the solution for fast or easy weight loss.
Facts about Diet Pills
- All serious diet or weight loss pills are designed
for overweight people suffering from obesity. They are
anti-obesity drugs - not pills for fast or easy weight loss.
- Diet pills, supplements, drugs and other weight loss
medications are not going to melt away your fat and solve
your weight problem by themselves. Most weight loss trials show
that diet pills offer (at best) short term support.
- When using diet pills, make them part of comprehensive
weight-loss program that includes regular exercise and a
healthy low-calorie diet. Otherwise instead of losing weight,
all you'll lose is money.
- Beware over-the-counter diet pills, weight loss products
and dietary supplements. These weight loss products are NOT
regulated, contain active ingredients which have no proven
weight loss benefits, and may damage your weight and health.
- Beware diet pills advertised as "Natural" or "Herbal".
Weight loss pills are not necessarily healthier or more
effective for weight loss because they contain so-called natural
ingredients. Herbal ingredients of diet pills are linked to a
wide range of health problems.
- Beware diet pills called 'fat-burners' when trying to
lose weight. The only effective and safe way to directly raise
metabolism and burn fat is to increase exercise.
- If thinking of buying diet pills, always consult your
doctor FIRST. Discuss your weight-loss options fully, and ask
about all the known side effects and health risks of the diet
and weight loss pills suggested.
- When taking diet pills, ALWAYS follow the manufacturer's
instructions.
- Don't stay on diet pills for more than 4-6 weeks without
consulting your doctor.
Potential Benefits of Diet Pills
Over the short term, weight loss in obese individuals may reduce a
number of health risks. Studies looking at the effects of
weight-loss medication treatment on obesity-related health risks
have found that some diet pills lower blood pressure, blood
cholesterol, triglycerides (fats) and decrease insulin resistance
(the body's inability to use blood sugar) over the short term.
However, long-term studies are needed to determine if diet and
weight loss pills can improve health.
Potential Risks of Diet Pills
When considering long-term weight-loss medication treatment for
obesity, you should consider the following areas of concern and
potential risks.
Abuse of, or dependence on diet pills - Currently, all
prescription drugs to treat obesity are controlled substances,
meaning doctors need to follow certain restrictions when
prescribing weight-loss medications. Although abuse and dependence
are not common with non-amphetamine appetite suppressant
medications, doctors should be cautious when they prescribe these
medications for patients with a history of alcohol or other drug
abuse.
Development of tolerance to diet pills - Most studies of
weight-loss drugs show that a patient's weight tends to level off
after four to six months while still on medication. While some
patients and physicians may be concerned that this shows tolerance
to the diet pills, the leveling off may mean that the medication
has reached its limit of effectiveness. Based on the currently
available studies, it is not clear if weight gain with continuing
treatment is due to drug tolerance.
Appetite Suppressants
Appetite suppressant medications are not "magic bullets," or a
one-shot fix. They cannot take the place of improving one's diet
and becoming more physically active. The major role of medications
appears to be to help a person stay on a healthy
diet and exercise plan to lose weight and keep it off.
Side Effects of Diet Pills
Because weight-loss medications are used to treat a condition that
affects millions of people, many of whom are basically healthy,
their potential for side effects is of great concern. Most side
effects of these medications are mild and usually improve with
continued treatment. Rarely, serious and even fatal outcomes have
been reported.Two approved appetite suppressant diet pills that affect
serotonin release and reuptake have been withdrawn from the market
(fenfluramine, dexfenfluramine). Medications that affect
catecholamine levels (such as phentermine, diethylpropion, and
mazindol) may cause symptoms of sleeplessness, nervousness, and
euphoria (feeling of well-being).
Meridia (Sibutramine) diet pills act on both
the serotonin and catecholamine systems, but unlike fenfluramine
and dexfenfluramine, sibutramine does not cause release of
serotonin from cells. The primary known side effects of concern
with sibutramine are elevations in blood pressure and pulse, which
are usually small but may be significant in some patients. People
with poorly controlled high blood pressure, heart disease,
irregular heart beat, or history of stroke should not take
sibutramine, and all patients taking the medication should have
their blood pressure monitored on a regular basis.
Xenical (Orlistat) diet pills have side effects which include:
oily spotting, gas with discharge, urgent need to go to the
bathroom, oily or fatty stools, an oily discharge, increased
number of bowel movements, and inability to control bowel
movements. These side effects are generally mild and temporary,
but may be worsened by eating foods that are high in fat. Also,
because orlistat reduces the absorption of some vitamins, patients
should take a multivitamin at least 2 hours before or after taking
orlistat.
|
