There is a fine line between truth and fiction -- it's always easier to believe the latter. When it comes to diet pills, you may want to believe the hype and promises behind the marketing. Lose 15 lbs. in 10 days? Of course you want to believe that when you have 50 lbs. to lose. When it comes to diet pills, you have to separate the truth from the fiction to ensure your health.
Common Ingredients, Lack of Evidence
The University of Maryland Medical Center, UMMC, clearly outlines common ingredients found in many over-the-counter diet pills. These include EPA-rich fish oil, hydroxycitrate, L-carnitine, aloe vera, chromium, green tea polyphenols, DHEA derivatives, diazoxide, sesamin, pantethine, pyruvate, aspartate, coenzyme Q10 and cilostazol. The UMMC explains nearly all over-the-counter diet pills contain some combination of these ingredients, and there is no evidence supporting their ability to produce weight loss.
Side Effects
Both over-the-counter and prescription diet pills can cause unpleasant -- even dangerous -- side effects. When taking a prescription medication, your doctor will explain the possible side effects, however, when you choose the $29.99 deal on TV, you don't know what you're getting into. Some over-the-counter products contain a thyroid hormone; this increases your risk of thyroid disorders, heart attack and stroke. Dietary herbal teas contain laxatives that can result in gastrointestinal problems. When using too much of this product, you may suffer from chronic pain, constipation and dependency on the tea. Chitosan derives from shellfish; if you don't know this and are allergic to shellfish, you can suffer a severe allergic reaction. Plantain -- not to be confused with the banana plant of the same name -- is another ingredient in some diet pills. In some cases it contains digitalis, a chemical that affects your heart. These are some examples of side effects in over-the-counter diet pills.
The Role of the FDA
Over-the-counter diet pills are marketed as dietary supplements, and therefore do not need to prove their efficacy or safety to the FDA for approval. This means any dietary supplement can throw itself on the shelf. Once available to the general public though, the FDA can monitor the product for safety and issue warnings. You, the consumer, can report any side effects you experience to the FDA; once a pattern is noticed, it steps in. Ephedra, for example, was banned for sale by the FDA in 2004 because of its possible side effects -- heart attack and stroke. Products containing ephedra are no longer available in the United States.
Prescription medications must prove their efficacy and safety to the FDA before being approved for release. This release can be revoked if the drug shows a pattern of dangerous side effects. MayoClinic.com explains that in 1997, the FDA approved sibutramine for weight-loss, but removed it from the market in 2010 due to studies showing an increased risk for both heart attack and stroke.
Short-Term Solution
Diet pills are a short-term solution for a long-term problem. Although their effectiveness can impress you in the beginning, it should not be so much so that you are blinded by fiction. Mandy Leonard, PharmD, assistant director of the Drug Information Center at Cleveland Clinic reiterates that no magic pill exists. She reports a modest reduction in weight for patients taking approved weight-loss pills, however, patients also modified their diets. MayoClinic.com concurs, adding that you still need to reduce caloric intake to produce long-term results.
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