Herbal diet pills are widely used as weight-loss aids. Often labeled as dietary supplements, herbal diet pills are not as strictly regulated as prescription drugs by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA. Due to this lack of strict oversight, herbal diet pills may contain ingredients that may be harmful or cause dangerous interactions with prescription drugs, including Prozac. Like any health supplement, consult your doctor before combining herbal diet pills with Prozac.
Unknown Ingredients
Unregulated Internet providers sometimes sell dietary supplements, including herbal diet pills, that reach consumers without undergoing much safety testing. The FDA often does not test these products until health concerns require investigation of specific products. The presence of unknown or unregulated drugs in herbal diet pills raises the risk of harmful interactions with prescription medications, such as Prozac, that are taken for legitimate health reasons.
Prozac in Diet Pills
The FDA discovered that certain herbal diet pills, including Herbathin and Emagrece Sim, contain fluoxetine, the generic name for Prozac, the agency warns. The dose of Prozac needs to be carefully regulated in each person to reduce the risk of dangerous side effects and ensure effective treatment. If you take Prozac, consuming extra fluoxetine from herbal diet pills could increase the risk of potentially life-threatening side effects.
Ephedra and Prozac
Ephedra, also known as ma huang, is a powerful stimulant sometimes used in herbal diet pills. Ephedra was banned by the FDA in 2004 due to serious health concerns. Even though ephedra is banned, certain unregulated herbal diet pills may contain ephedra, which may not be listed in the ingredients. Ephedra is known to cause dangerous interactions with antidepressants such as Prozac, warns the University of Maryland Medical Center.
Other Stimulants and Prozac
Many herbal diet pills contain central nervous system stimulants besides ephedra, such as caffeine, to suppress appetite. These stimulants may or may not be identified on the diet pill labels. Central nervous system stimulants may worsen some of the potential side effects of Prozac, including anxiety, irritability, nervousness, heart palpitations and insomnia, warns the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services. Use extreme caution combining unknown quantities of stimulants with Prozac.
References
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Interactions with Fluoxetine
- MedlinePlus: Fluoxetine; August 2011
- Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality: Ephedra & Ephedrine; March 2003
- New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services: Caffeine; March 2003
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration: FDA Warns Consumers about Brazilian Diet Pills Found to Contain Active Drug Ingredients - Emagrece Sim and Herbathin Dietary Supplements May be Harmful; January 2006
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