Health professionals recommend regular excise and a healthy diet as the best means to lose weight. For people who experience medical problems related to obesity, however, doctors may prescribe prescription weight loss pills to speed up the weight loss process. Several different types of prescription diet pills are available that act on the body through different means to increase weight loss. The side effects of these drugs can range from mild to severe and can outweigh the benefits for certain patients.
Increased Heart Rate and Blood Pressure
Several prescription diet pills, including phentermine and sibutramine, can cause an increase in heart rate and blood pressure. The increases are generally small, but patients with high blood pressure or heart disease should avoid these drugs, recommends the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. In 2010, sibutramine was pulled from the market for causing increases in serious adverse heart events, such as stroke and non-fatal heart attack, reports MayoClinic.com.
Stomach Cramps and Diarrhea
Orlistat, a common prescription diet pill, frequently causes gastrointestinal problems including flatulence, severe stomach cramps, diarrhea or leaking, oily stools. These symptoms often increase after eating foods with a high fat content, explains the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Other prescription diet pills frequently cause nausea, such as metformin and zonisamide. In 2010, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration began reviewing the safety of orlistat after receiving reports of serious liver damage in people taking the drug.
Nervousness and Sleeplessness
Nervousness and sleeplessness are common side effects of certain prescription diet pills, such as phentermine, diethylpropion, bupropion and phendimetrazine, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Diethylpropion, as well as metformin and zonisamide, may also cause headache and dizziness. Zonisamide can cause the additional side effect of drowsiness, and metformin can additionally cause weakness.
Changes in Taste
Prescription diet pills can also effect taste. Patients taking metformin have reported experiencing a metallic taste in their mouths, and topiramate is known to cause other changes in taste, reports the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Dry mouth can be caused by several diet pills, including bupropion and zonisamide.
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