Non-prescription diet pills are nutritional supplements available over the counter without a doctor's prescription. They come in a variety of strengths and formulations, some of which may contain potentially hazardous ingredients. Understanding how non-prescription diet pills can hurt your heart will help you take necessary precautions and avoid harm.
Types
While many brands of diet pills are available today, most can be classified as either fat blockers or fat burners. Fat blockers are pills that prevent the body from absorbing fat, while fat burners---also known as appetite suppressants, thermogenics or stimulants---increase metabolism while suppressing appetite. Because they speed the activity of the cardiovascular system, fat burners are more commonly associated with heart-related adverse effects than fat blockers.
Pharmacology
Diet pills in the fat burner category often contain stimulants like bitter orange, ephedrine or guarana. Stimulants work by speeding heart rate and raising blood pressure, which can have potentially dangerous effects in people with heart disease and other chronic health conditions. They also raise body temperature to increase sweating, hence the name "thermogenic." These ingredients are often marketed as appetite suppressants or fat burners and come in a variety of brands and formulations. While they might be effective for jump-starting weight loss, fat burners that contain stimulants are a poor option for long-term weight management due to the risk of side effects.
Health Risks
Like all supplements, diet pills can cause adverse effects in some users. In some cases, side effects may be serious or life-threatening. According to Mayo Clinic, the herbal stimulant ephedra has caused heart attack, stroke, seizure and sudden death in a number of users. While it's been banned from store shelves, diet pills containing ephedra and its active compound, ephedrine, can be purchased online.
Bitter orange---sometimes marketed as "legal ephedra"--also has the potential to be harmful to the heart. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine states that healthy people taking bitter orange supplements have experienced heart attack, stroke and other serious problems. When used with other stimulants like caffeine, ephedra and bitter orange can be even more deadly due to the combined effects of both drugs on the heart and vascular system.
Prevention/Solution
The only way you can completely avoid the risk of heart problems associated with diet pills is to abstain from using them. Choosing supplements that contain milder stimulants like green tea or guarana may reduce the risk of heart problems, as can using other types of non-prescription diet aides like fat blockers.
Always follow dosing directions carefully and ask a doctor before taking non-prescription diet pills if you suffer from heart disease, diabetes or other chronic conditions. Avoid combining supplements like ephedra or bitter orange with other stimulants, as this increases the risk for heart problems and other side effects.
Considerations
The likelihood of experiencing heart-related problems while taking diet pills depends largely on their individual ingredients. Not all fat burners contain harmful stimulants. Do not take such pills without consulting your doctor. If you have troubling or persistent side effects while taking non-prescription diet pills, stop using them and seek medical attention immediately.
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