An appetite suppressant decreases your appetite and increases your feelings of fullness and emotional well-being. But you should talk to your doctor about prescription appetite suppressants, as many over-the-counter remedies contain potentially dangerous ingredients such as bitter orange or ephedra, advises the Mayo Clinic. Also, if you have a history of alcohol or drug abuse or just need to lose a few pounds, you should not take appetite control pills.
Basic Recommendations
You should only take appetite suppressants for up to 12 weeks at a time, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. If you take them for longer periods, the pills lose effectiveness and you also risk becoming addicted to the drug. Many doctors only prescribe appetite control pills for periods of three to six weeks. Also, if you do not change your diet and exercise habits for the long-term, you risk regaining any weight lost once you stop taking appetite suppressants.
Types
Phentermine is the most popular diet drug in the United States and has been prescribed since 1959, according to the Mayo Clinic. Other commonly prescribed appetite suppressants include diethylpropion and phendimetrazine. Over the decades, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has banned several over-the-counter and prescription appetite suppressants, including fen-phen and ephedra. The problem with fen-phen was the ingredient fenfluramine, which was banned. Also, amphetamines such as Dexedrine should not be used as diet drugs due to their potential for addiction.
Common Side Effects
All appetite suppressants carry a profile of common side effects, most which are not serious, according to the Mayo Clinic. You may experience a false sense of well-being or euphoria, dizziness, nervousness, headache, constipation and sleeping problems while taking appetite control pills. In some cases, you may also experience increased blood pressure, dry mouth, an unpleasant taste in the mouth and increased urination.
Serious Side Effects
Banned diet pills such as fen-phen and ephedra caused serious and sometimes fatal heart and lung damage in patients, according to the Mayo Clinic. The appetite suppressants that doctors can still prescribe may, in rare cases, cause allergic reactions, which are marked by symptoms such as itching, hives and difficulty breathing. If you experience confusion, a severe headache, fainting, serious depression, numbness or swelling in part of the body, hallucinations, chest pain, unusual bleeding or bruising, sore throat or decreased ability to exercise, you need immediate emergency medical intervention.
References
- Weight-control Information Network; Prescription Medications for the Treatment of Obesity; December 2010
- Mayo Clinic: Over-the-Counter Weight Loss Pills
- Mayo Clinic: Phentermine - Can Prescription Medication Help Weight Loss?; Donald Hensrud; October 2009
- Mayo Clinic: Appetite Suppressant, Sympathomimetic
- Mayo Clinic: Ephedra
- PubMed Health: Diethylpropion
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