Wouldn't it be wonderful if all of your fats could "melt away" instantly? I'd honestly love to lose a few pounds myself, but losing weight is not as simple as it sounds. That is why many of us tend to buy diet pills. There are variety of ways to lose weight such as eating a healthy diet, excercising, and some of us even choosing to throw up what we ate. Out of all these choices, diet pills seem to be the fastest and easiest way to be slim again. However, people should consider carefully about these drugs as nothing good can be gained that easily. This is why I chose to do my research on diet pills, how effective they are, and the side effects they bring on us.
Diet pills contain powerful laxatives, stimulants, and appetite suppressants which help to lose weight. However, these may not be the healthiest way to burn off your calories. Powerful laxatives “flush” or “melt” fat, and “cleanse” your body as you'll be spending a lot of time on the toilet. They tend to contain natural laxatives such as psyllium, rhubarb powder, cascara, fennel powder, senna, goldenseal and others, and natural diuretics such as ginger, fennel, vinegars and teas. They come with warnings to drink lots
of water and avoid taking other medication within two hours (because the desired effect of the other medicine may be reduced—something to consider if you’re taking anything from blood pressure meds to the pill), and also that overuse can create a dependence on laxatives to move your bowels. Stimulants in diet pills claim that they burn calories, fat and increase metabolism. Common ingredients include caffeine, sometimes two to three cups of coffee worth in a single pill, and often green tea extract (listed as Camellia sinensis). Appetite suppressants are also present in diet pills and they claim to kill hunger pangs and make you feel full. The common ingredient is hoodia, an African plant that some claim quells hunger (so far no research studies prove it’s safe and effective), green tea extract and psyllium are also commonly found in suppressants.
Do diet pills work? Some say yes, and some say no. Technically, diet pills do work as many diet pills are basically designed as a way to increase your energy. Other diet pills tell your brain you are full (thus reducing your appetite), and others work internally to alter your metabolism. People should be aware that consuming only diet pills won't have much effect, proper dieting and routine exercise are definitely needed in order to make it work. On the other hand, medical experts and pharmacists roundly say no. Dr. Yoni Freedhoff, a family doctor and the founder of Ottawa’s Bariatric Medical Institute, says “If weight loss came in a bottle, the world would be slim.” When Freedhoff opened his clinic six years ago, he scoured the medical literature looking for a good herbal supplement. To date, he notes, no herbal preparations have been conclusively shown in well-designed, randomized, peer-reviewed trials to be both safe and effective for long-term weight loss. Dr. Arya Sharma, scientific director of the Canadian Obesity Network, agrees. “Laxatives and stimulants are not a healthy, safe approach to long-term weight management.”
Now, let's consider the side effects of diet pills. Different diet pills contain different ingredients, so their side effects vary. As fat blockers like orlistat (Xenical) remove excess fats via the intestines, they may cause uncomfortable cramping, gas and diarrhea. Sibutramine (Meridia) and other similar appetite suppressants stimulate the sympathetic nervous system, which can raise blood pressure and heart rate. This increases the risk of heart attack and cardiac arrest, especially among people who already suffer from high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat or heart disease. In fact, between February 1998 and March 2003, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) received reports of 49 deaths related to sibutramine. Another report on diet pills was the popular Hydroxycut in May 2009, which in the U.S. led to 23 cases of liver toxicity and one death. The FDA told the company that since it was unknown what ingredient or combination of ingredients created the problem and who was at risk, any new formulation should get “a rigorous safety review” by the firm that markets it. A reformulated product was back on shelves in months, and the company sent the FDA its new formulations and safety information. Many other side effects include nervousness, restlessness, insomnia, dry mouth, vomitting and diarrhea or constipation, intestinal disturbances, tightness in chest, fever, and urinary tract problems. Overdoses can cause tremors, confusion, hallucinations, shallow breathing, renal failure, heart attack and convulsions.
Diet pills may sound tempting to many women, especially to those who are obese. Sarah Dean, at size 18, was desperate to regain her curvy size 14. Determined, she turned to diet pills, but the outcome was horrible. She was tempted into a health and beauty salon by a billboard advert that promised to help shed the pounds and was given a powerful diet drug called phenphedrine. Within four hours of taking the first tablets she began suffering bad headaches and extreme thirst. The next day she blacked out for three minutes and when the 31-year-old came round, she discovered she was paralysed. "I couldn't move my left arm or leg," Sarah recalls. Her husband took her to their GP who examined her and said that she needed to go to hospital to have an emergency CT scan. After their visit to the hospital, the couple learned that the tablets were amphetamine-based and GPs had stopped prescribing them years ago because of the dangerous side-effects. Fortunately Sarah, of Warrington, Cheshire, suffered no long-term damage and within a week she had recovered the feeling in her left side.
There is no easy way out of this terrible and harsh thing called diet. Yes, diet pills do help us to lose weight, but many of the pills out there have not undergone proper testing and exmination. The laxatives, stimulants, and appetite suppressants in diet pills have their own way of helping us to lose weight, but one must do their own part by exercising and eating a healthy diet in order to maintain one's weight and remain healthy. Relying only on pills would have no long term effect. Whenever we are dealing with drugs, we should always be careful with the dangers and side effects it carries. Too much will lead to serious health damages such as heart attacks and even deaths. We must always keep in mind that diet pills are supplements, and the effectiveness of it will depend on your efforts.
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