Diet Pills and Their Risks
There are a lot of risks with diet pills, liver problems, heart problems, addictions, and many more. Some people don’t take the time to make a life style change with eating and exercise, they take the easy and lazy way out by taking pills. They don’t see that these pills can cause them serious health problems now, and in the future.
On the ‘Health and Science’ website, there is a blog posting by CBN News, that states that two popular diet pills will soon come with a new warning that they could cause severe liver damage in rare cases. The Food and Drug Administration has added labels of warning to the drugs alli, which is a diet pill that is sold over the counter. They have also added it to the prescription version of: Xenical. An estimated 40 million people have used the drugs alli and Xenical, which both contain the ingredient orlistat. That ingredient has been linked to 13 cases of damaged livers. The FDA have told doctors to watch out for the signs of liver damage, which are itching, yellow eyes and skin, and loss of appetite. The said drugs manufacturers have said that their drug is safe, and continue to stand behind that statement. GlaxoSmithKline, which produces alli, said they are "committed to ensuring that consumers and physicians understand the safety profile." Xenical's maker, Roche, said the "safety profile of Xenical is based on more than 10 years of clinical experience and more than 36 million patients worldwide have received Xenical." (http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/healthscience/2010/May/FDA-Adds-Warning-to-Two-Popular-Diet-Pills/)
Recently people have found out that some diet pills, even if taken years ago could have caused thickening of heart valves in some people. In a few people this valve thickening can prevent the heart valves from closing properly (known medically as mitral or aortic incompetence). (http://www.medsafe.govt.nz/consumers/leaflets/diet.asp) In 1997 there were 24 women who took a popular diet pill combination, that were taking fenfluramine and phentermine, or fen-phen, a popular combination of diet pills, when they developed an unusual and serious heart valve problem. Eight of them had fatal conditions in which the lungs weren’t getting blood because the valves that lead from the heart to the lungs were restricted. The women sought medical attention because they had such symptoms of heart problems as fatigue, shortness of breath and fluid accumulation in the ankles or abdomen. Doctors made the connection to the drugs, the FDA then told the doctors to be on the look out for these hear symptoms in all of their patience. (http://www.dartmouth.edu/~chance/course/Syllabi/97Dartmouth/day-2/fen-phen-6.pdf)
There are a lot of risks with diet pills, one that people may not know about is that they can be highly addictive. Some people even over dose on the pills because they are trying to speed up their weight loss process. They can also have harmful side effects even when they are taken according to the doctor's directions. The other side effects of diet pills are: anxiety or nervousness, irritability, insomnia and a feeling of restlessness or hyperactivity, high blood pressure, tightness in the chest, heart palpitations, heart attack, stroke or congestive heart failure, digestive tract problems like vomiting, diarrhea, constipation or other stomach pain, fever, dry mouth, headaches, dizziness, blurred vision, profuse sweating, hair loss, menstrual cycle and sex drive disturbances, and urinary tract problems. With people who are addicted to diet pills they will often ‘pill hop’ which is hoping from one pill to another. Often those trying to lose weight may start to feel emotionally dependent on the pills. They may attribute their initial success to diet pills only, forgetting any diet modifications, exercise or other lifestyle changes that may have been the true reason for the weight loss. (http://www.naturalbloom.com/articles/nutrition-68/)
People don’t see the problems that are aligned with diet pills, they don’t see the major health problems that they could get from them. From the liver, to the heart and addiction, they almost seem as bad as cigarettes and alcohol. Not only do people take them to lose weight fast and easy, they can even get so attached to them to overdose. With all the health problems out there, you think people would be more carful with their body’s.
There are a lot of risks with diet pills, liver problems, heart problems, addictions, and many more. Some people don’t take the time to make a life style change with eating and exercise, they take the easy and lazy way out by taking pills. They don’t see that these pills can cause them serious health problems now, and in the future.
On the ‘Health and Science’ website, there is a blog posting by CBN News, that states that two popular diet pills will soon come with a new warning that they could cause severe liver damage in rare cases. The Food and Drug Administration has added labels of warning to the drugs alli, which is a diet pill that is sold over the counter. They have also added it to the prescription version of: Xenical. An estimated 40 million people have used the drugs alli and Xenical, which both contain the ingredient orlistat. That ingredient has been linked to 13 cases of damaged livers. The FDA have told doctors to watch out for the signs of liver damage, which are itching, yellow eyes and skin, and loss of appetite. The said drugs manufacturers have said that their drug is safe, and continue to stand behind that statement. GlaxoSmithKline, which produces alli, said they are "committed to ensuring that consumers and physicians understand the safety profile." Xenical's maker, Roche, said the "safety profile of Xenical is based on more than 10 years of clinical experience and more than 36 million patients worldwide have received Xenical." (http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/healthscience/2010/May/FDA-Adds-Warning-to-Two-Popular-Diet-Pills/)
Recently people have found out that some diet pills, even if taken years ago could have caused thickening of heart valves in some people. In a few people this valve thickening can prevent the heart valves from closing properly (known medically as mitral or aortic incompetence). (http://www.medsafe.govt.nz/consumers/leaflets/diet.asp) In 1997 there were 24 women who took a popular diet pill combination, that were taking fenfluramine and phentermine, or fen-phen, a popular combination of diet pills, when they developed an unusual and serious heart valve problem. Eight of them had fatal conditions in which the lungs weren’t getting blood because the valves that lead from the heart to the lungs were restricted. The women sought medical attention because they had such symptoms of heart problems as fatigue, shortness of breath and fluid accumulation in the ankles or abdomen. Doctors made the connection to the drugs, the FDA then told the doctors to be on the look out for these hear symptoms in all of their patience. (http://www.dartmouth.edu/~chance/course/Syllabi/97Dartmouth/day-2/fen-phen-6.pdf)
There are a lot of risks with diet pills, one that people may not know about is that they can be highly addictive. Some people even over dose on the pills because they are trying to speed up their weight loss process. They can also have harmful side effects even when they are taken according to the doctor's directions. The other side effects of diet pills are: anxiety or nervousness, irritability, insomnia and a feeling of restlessness or hyperactivity, high blood pressure, tightness in the chest, heart palpitations, heart attack, stroke or congestive heart failure, digestive tract problems like vomiting, diarrhea, constipation or other stomach pain, fever, dry mouth, headaches, dizziness, blurred vision, profuse sweating, hair loss, menstrual cycle and sex drive disturbances, and urinary tract problems. With people who are addicted to diet pills they will often ‘pill hop’ which is hoping from one pill to another. Often those trying to lose weight may start to feel emotionally dependent on the pills. They may attribute their initial success to diet pills only, forgetting any diet modifications, exercise or other lifestyle changes that may have been the true reason for the weight loss. (http://www.naturalbloom.com/articles/nutrition-68/)
People don’t see the problems that are aligned with diet pills, they don’t see the major health problems that they could get from them. From the liver, to the heart and addiction, they almost seem as bad as cigarettes and alcohol. Not only do people take them to lose weight fast and easy, they can even get so attached to them to overdose. With all the health problems out there, you think people would be more carful with their body’s.
By: Sarah Reid
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