5 Things You Need to Know About Weight Loss Pills

1. Weight Loss in a Bottle

Diet pills work in several ways. One way is to reduce the amount of fat the body absorbs. Alli is an example of this. It works by preventing Lipase, an enzyme that breaks down the fat in your body, from breaking down the fat in your digestive tract. By not absorbing the fat, you absorb fewer calories, therefore losing weight. Other weight loss drugs work by suppressing your appetite and others by increasing calorie and fat metabolism, which allows your body to burn what you eat at a faster rate.

2. Prescription vs. Over the Counter

Prescription weight loss pills are the only ones medically proven to aid in weight loss. The FDA oversees prescription medications. Their effectiveness and safety are tested before being released to the public. With the exception of Alli, the FDA doesn't approve over the counter weight loss supplements. There is no oversight to see if they actually live up to the weight loss claims they make or if they are safe for use at all. There is no guarantee even, that the ingredients printed on the box are what is actually found in the pills.

3. No Quick Fix

With most diet pills, weight lost is minimal. At most, you can expect to lose 5 to 10 percent of your body weight in a year with prescription medications. These gains only happen in combination with a low calorie, low fat diet and regular exercise. With over the counter weight loss pills there is very little, if any, evidence that shows they have any effect on your overall weight. At best, Alli, which is the weaker version of the prescription Xenical, may only provide a three pound weight loss over what you would lose with diet and exercise alone.

4. Side Effects Can Include Death

Most diet supplements have unpleasant and in some cases, deadly, side effects. Common side effects with weight loss drugs include: lose stools or diarrhea, excessive gas with an oily discharge, more frequent bowel movements and hard to control bowel movements. Bitter Orange, a popular herbal weight loss supplement, may cause health problems similar to ephedra. Ephedra is the weight loss supplement that was pulled off the shelves several years ago because of its links to several deaths in people who were taking the supplement.

5. Look for a Different Permanent Solution

Whatever weight you lose while taking diet pills, prescription or otherwise, you are likely to gain back once you stop taking the pills. This leads some to take the pills indefinitely. The problem is, even with the prescription drugs, they are only slated for short-term use. There aren't any studies showing the side effects of taking weight loss pills over long periods of time.