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Weight Loss Drugs, Dietary Supplements, Diet Pills Side Effects and Health Issues

Information About Weight Loss Drugs and Diet Supplements

Information on Diet Pills and Health

Diet Pills Still Not Trouble-Free

Pharmacotherapeutics (weight loss drugs treatment) can promote modest weight loss and maintenance in obese people. Reports of infrequent, but serious, adverse events (for example, pulmonary hypertension, severe cardiac valvular damage) caused earlier diet pills (fenfluramine, dexfenfluramine) to be taken off the market and continue to plague some diet pills that are still used in obesity treatment.

Worldwide reports of deaths related to the brand of diet pills called Meridia, prompted Italy to suspend sales and authorities in France, Germany, and England to review the weight loss drug. Consumer groups are urging the United States to remove it from the market.

Although the weight loss drug Xenical, which blocks fat absorption, has fewer safety concerns, it also has common, annoying, and socially unacceptable side effects, such as faecal incontinence and flatulence. Because of continued concerns about adverse effects and the lack of evidence about long term safety, pharmacological treatments should be used as adjuncts to strategies for changing lifestyle only for selected patients (those with a body mass index and obesity related co-morbidities) after consideration of the trade-off between potential benefits and harms.

Xenical/Orlistat Approved For Teenagers

Despite the above health concerns, the FDA recently (Dec 2003) approved the use of Xenical lipase-inhibiting diet pills for teenagers and adolescents. Meantime, Meridia diet pills are under study while a new study is planned into Glucophage diet pills.

Prescription Diet Pills - Guidelines

If your doctor determines that you have obesity-related health problems or are at high risk for such problems, and if you have been unable to lose weight or maintain weight loss with non-drug treatment, he or she may recommend that you use prescription weight-loss medications. These weight-loss medications may be appropriate for carefully selected patients who are at significant medical risk because of their obesity. They are not recommended for people who are only mildly overweight unless they have health problems that are made worse by their weight. These weight loss medications should not be used only to improve appearance.

Health Risks of Herbal Diet Pills

Due to lack of regulation, inaccurate labelling, active-ingredient combination and misuse, there are a growing number of adverse incidences and health-risks worries concerning herbal diet pills. In 2001, FDA issued a nationwide alert on the recall of thirteen herbal weight loss pills because of a dangerous ingredient and potential damage to the kidneys.

Increasing Health Problems With Diet Pills

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Medical Bulletins have reported increasing numbers and severities of adverse reactions with dietary supplements promoted for weight loss or fat-burning, such as those containing ephedra (Ma huang), guarana or Kola nut, white willow and chromium. The side effects include chest pain, heart attacks, strokes, hepatitis, seizures, high blood pressure or heart rates, psychosis and death.

The Dietary Supplement Verification Program

To encourage improvement in standards of nonprescription diet pills, the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) has introduced the Comprehensive Dietary Supplement Verification Program. The Program involves USP certification that supplement products (a) contain the ingredients stated on the label in the declared amount and strength; (b) are within limits for contaminants such as heavy metals, pesticides and microbes; (c) will be absorbed into the body according to USP criteria; and (d) have been manufactured using safe and controlled procedures.

Sources include: Weight Control Information Network (WIN).