Being overweight or obese can be dangerous for your health, but many of the diet pills and weight loss products commercially available in the United States may also be dangerous. Although many products claim to offer a shortcut to weight loss, none will function unless you also change your lifestyle to include a healthy diet and regular exercise. Consult your doctor before taking any diet pill or other weight loss product.
Nonprescription Diet Pills
A variety of pills for weight loss are available over the counter at supermarkets, drugstores and other shops in the United States. MayoClinic.com reports that few of the pills and products available as at February 2011 have been proven effective for weight loss, and some pills are suspected to be dangerous to your overall health. Diet pills available OTC include ingredients such as orlistat, chitosan, green tea, hoodia, guar gum, chromium and bitter orange.
Prescription Diet Pills
Certain diet pills are only available with a doctor's prescription and are intended for cases where weight is causing serious health problems. Prescription diet drugs do not work in isolation and must be taken in combination with a healthy diet and regular exercise to be effective. The possible benefits of prescription weight-loss pills must be carefully weighed against the potential risks of long-term use. Many prescription diet pills function by suppressing your appetite. Phentermine is one example of an appetite suppressant. Others, such as prescription medications containing orlistat, work by blocking the absorption of dietary fat.
Other Weight Loss Products
Some products not approved for use in the United States are nonetheless available online and may contain ingredients, such as ephedra, which the FDA has placed under an outright ban. Common functions of commercial weight loss products include appetite suppression, blocking your body's absorption of food nutrients or fat, metabolism boosting and an overall laxative effect. Pills containing caffeine, chromium, bitter orange or green tea are intended to boost metabolism; hoodia, chitosan and orlistat aim to block dietary fat absorption.
Safety Considerations
Taking any diet pill or weight loss product in the long term can have negative side effects, ranging from mild to the potentially fatal. In susceptible individuals, it is possible for diet pills to cause heart palpitations, kidney failure, heart attack, miscarriage or psychotic episodes, all of which may be serious or fatal. OTC pills containing orlistat are being investigated in response to concerns about its potential to harm the liver. Ephedra and country mallow products are banned by the FDA in the United States. Unsupervised use of prescription drugs is particularly dangerous. You should only use diet pills or weight loss products with your doctor's knowledge and prior approval.
Member Comments