1. Physical Symptoms of Diet Pill Abuse
The most obvious signs of diet pill abuse are physical. If you or someone you know becomes addicted to Tenuate, phentermine or other appetite suppressants, the overload of caffeine and other stimulants in the pills will lead to headaches, vomiting, irritability and shallow breathing. Diet pills made with stimulant properties are particularly harmful to people with a history of high blood pressure or heart problems, as they can cause strokes, heart palpitations, seizures and arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat).
2. Taking More Than Recommended
One of the ways diet pill addiction compromises the natural function of the body is by making the metabolism slow down. People tend to lose a set amount of weight using diet pills, and then they must resort to normal calorie reduction and exercise to shed more pounds. Some impatient types may mistakenly take more than the recommended amount, thinking that more weight will magically disappear.
3. Taking as a Stimulant, Not as a Weight Loss Aid
Most diet pills contain stimulants, referred to as sympathomimetic amines. They affect the central nervous system like amphetamines. Dexatrim, Adipex-P, Fastin and other prescription medications often cause users to become dependent on them, much like drug addicts who abuse cocaine or methamphetamines. The dieter may begin to pop the pills without any attempt to use it as part of an overall diet and exercise plan, and focus on the pills as a stimulant more than a weight loss aid. They might take a diet pill before an exam to help them stay up all night and study.
4. Yo-Yo Weight Loss-Gain
Using diet pills won't keep weight off you permanently unless you use them as part of a regimented weight loss plan. Diet pill abusers tend to yo-yo back and forth from skinny to fat, according to their pill-taking patterns. When dieters take the easy way out by using appetite supplements, they enter a pattern of losing and gaining weight. Appetite suppressants cause the user to lose water in the body, giving the appearance of losing fat when they've only lost water. The only way to keep weight off and change your body shape permanently is through a consistent diet and lifestyle changes. Once you discontinue a diet pill like Adipex, you may find yourself gaining back all the weight you lost. Willpower works better than pills in the long run.
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