Diet Pill Side Effects & Dangers
The
diet pill industry is largely unregulated and unfortunately open to fraud.
That's why its important to stick with what your doctor
recommends, or at the very least use famous brands whose reputation depends on the veracity of their claims.
Some pills can contain partially banned substances such as Ephedra, some claim to contain supplements like Hoodia even when they don't, and some have inadequate dosage instructions that can endanger your health.
Side Effects
Many diet pills, prescription or non-prescription, work by increasing your metabolism. They stimulate the hypothalamus and the nervous system, raising your heart rate and blood pressure and increasing weight loss.
These actions can sometimes be dangerous to your health. For example, a person with high blood pressure would be placed at higher risk of a heart attack by using diet pills. Similarly, anyone prone to anxiety attacks should not take diet pills as they will tend to exacerbate and prolong those attacks.
Even for patients with perfect health though, there can be some unpleasant side effects associated with the use of diet pills. These can be broadly split between two types of diet pill.
Those pills that work on the brain to reduce appetite (appetite suppressants) can cause chest pain, high blood pressure, fever, hair loss, impotence and depression. Those pills that work in the gut (fat blockers) can cause oily stools, diarrhoea or even unexpected fecal discharge.
With all these possible side effects, it is obviously extremely important that you always consult your doctor before using diet pills.
Ephedra
Ephedra is now a partially banned substance in the US. It was a popular ingredient in diet pills until 2004, when it was found that users were experiencing high blood pressure and heart attacks. Initially Ephedra alkaloid and Ephedrine remained legal, then pretty much every Ephedra-related product was banned.
However, a US Federal judge ruled against the ban and reinstated Ephedra as a legal weight loss supplement. When he overturned the ban though, he specified that usage be kept below 10mg per day, also saying that the burden of proof was on the FDA to prove it is unsafe.
You may occasionally see diet pills containing Ephedra or Ephedrine - our recommendation is to avoid these. Ephedra's legal status as a food rather than a drug means that the pharmaceutical company does not need to prove that it is safe. Many deaths have been connected with Ephedra and webelieve it will eventually be banned again with time.
Fenfluramine
Fenfluramine was banned earlier than Ephedra in the US. It is an appetite suppressant that was found to damage heart valves when consumed with other slimming aids. It last appeared in Japan, where some illicit Chinese diet pills caused several deaths in 2002. One of the diet pills in question, Sennomoto-kono, also contained chemicals that damaged patients' livers and kidneys.
Guar Gum
Guar Gum has been banned in US diet pills, on account of the swelling it can produce in the throat and stomach. The theory was that this action would create a feeling of fullness, but in actuality it caused some serious health problems. The FDA banned more than 100 diet pills containing Guar Gum in 1992.