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Are Diet Pills Safe?
At 3 am, infomercials claiming weight loss by pill-popping with testimonials from beautiful, model-like “real people” can be incredibly persuasive. Diet pills may be ever-present, but with unwelcome side effects and serious health risks, are they safe?
Not So Smart Drugs — Why It Matters
The Food and Drug Administration classifies over-the-counter diet pills as supplements — not drugs. So unlike the rigorous laboratory studies and lengthy clinical trials that drugs must go through before being approved, many diet pills don’t have to get approval or go through safety testing before hitting the shelves. Without a watchdog monitoring the development of these pills, it may be difficult to know the exact ingredients, and they can be mixed with potentially dangerous compounds without including the information on their labels [1].
Research has found undeclared prescription drugs, banned drugs, and illicit agents in numerous commercial diet pills (yikes!), so it’s possible for these pills to not only deviate from the label's claims, but also cause unwanted side effects and health risks [2]. The scariest part? Many of these products are easily available from pharmacies, drug stores, or online!
Yes, some diet pills do what they claim. Orlistat, the only FDA approved drug for long-term weight loss (sold as Xenical by prescription and over the counter as Alli), works by blocking fat absorption and has been found to boost weight loss by up to 50 percent (…when added to a reduced calorie, lower-fat diet, that is) [3]. While long-term side effects are unknown (the drug was only approved in 1999), the short-term side effects are almost too icky to mention — involuntary fecal discharge, anyone? (Read: you can poop your pants at any time.) Phentermine, approved by the FDA for short-term weight loss, helps drop pounds (when paired with increased physical activity and a reduced calorie diet) by suppressing appetite [4]. But, of course, there is more to weight loss than appetite, and the side effects of this drug include increased blood pressure, dizziness, sleeplessness, nervousness, and constipation [5] [6].
Even though these diet drugs do completely different things, they share one key ingredient — a lower calorie diet. So are the drugs causing the weight loss, or is healthy eating doing a lot of the work? Hmm…
A Bitter Pill — The Answer/Debate
Easily purchased with a click of the mouse, with bathing-suit season just around the corner, diet-pills can be pretty tempting for the nutritional over-achievers out there. But with only a limited number of FDA sanctioned weight loss drugs, many diet pills on the market may only lighten the wallet. Others are getting the smack down from the FDA as being dangerous due to ingredients like bitter orange, Sibutramine, and Hoodia, which can cause side effects ranging from high blood pressure and liver or heart problems, to headaches, nausea, and shortness of breath [7] [8] [9] [10].
Still thinking about trying diet pills? Be sure to read the labels and do the research on safety alerts and recalls. But most of all, talk with a pharmacist or doctor so health status and current medications can be taken into account. Just remember: When it comes to weight loss, there is no magic bullet, pill, or potion — the best answer is always diet and exercise.
This article has been read and expert verified by Sherry Pagoto and Jessica Redmond.
The Takeaway
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Works Cited
- Adverse drug reactions of a slimming product contaminated with sibutramine. Van Hunsel, F., van Grootheest, K. Nederlands Bijwerkingen Centrum Lareb, Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands. Netherlands Journal of Medicine, 2011;155(42):A3695.⤴
- Case series on a diversity of illicit weight-reducing agents: from the well known to the unexpected.Tang, M.H., Chen, S.P., Ng, S.W., et al. Hospital Authority Toxicology Reference Laboratory, Block P, Princess Margaret Hospital, Laichikok, Hong Kong, China. British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 2011 Feb;71(2):250-3.⤴
- Over-the-counter weight loss with orlistat? Evidence Based Nursing, 2010 Jul;13(3):98-100.⤴
- Phentermine, topiramate and their combination for the treatment of adiposopathy (‘sick fat’) and metabolic disease. Bays, H. L-MARC Research Center, 3288 Illinois Avenue, Louisville, KY USA. Expert Review of Cardiovascular Therapy, 2010 Dec;8(12):1777-801.⤴
- Satiety and body weight control. Promise and compromise. Comment on 'Satiety. No way to slim.' Bellisle, F., Tremblay, A. Division of Kinesiology, PEPS, Laval University, Québec, Canada. Appetite, 2011 Dec;57(3):769-71;discussion 784-90.⤴
- RE: Pulmonary Hypertension Associated with Use of Phentermine. Hendricks, E.J., Rothman, R.B. Yonsei University College of Medicine. Yonsei Medical Journal, 2011 Sep;52(5):869-70.⤴
- Adulteration of over-the-counter slimming products with pharmaceutical analogue — an emerging threat. Yuen, Y.P., Lai, C.K., Poon, W.T., et al. Department of Pathology, Princess Margaret Hospital, Laichikok, Kowloon, Hong Kong. Hong Kong Medical Journal, 2007 Jun;13(3):216-20.⤴
- Consumption of dietary supplements containing Citrus aurantium (bitter orange)--2004 California Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS). Klontz, K.C., Timbo, .BB., Street, D. Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration, College Park, MD USA. Annals of Pharmacotherapy. 2006 Oct;40(10):1747-51.⤴
- Anti-Obesity Drugs: A Review about Their Effects and Safety. Kang, J.G., Park, C.Y. Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University School of Medicine, Anyang, Korea. Diabetes Metabolism Journal. 2012 Feb;36(1):13-25.⤴
- Effects of 15-d repeated consumption of Hoodia gordonii purified extract on safety, ad libitum energy intake, and body weight in healthy, overweight women: a randomized controlled trial. Blom, W.A., Abrahamse, S.L., Bradford, R., et al. Unilever Research & Development, Vlaardingen, Netherlands. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2011 Nov;94(5):1171-81.⤴
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April 2, 2012 • 1:21 pm
Trisha69
I had a nightmare with a well known brand of diet pills that caused me to have a meltdown in work of all places. I have found innoveat dietary supplements help with my weight loss and I feel better on them than without them . I am really sensitive to drugs and supplements (even caffeine) and these make me feel good.
October 29, 2012 • 2:09 pm
MaiuTomcat
I feel better getting dressed and fitting into nicer clothes, not ones that are aimed at hiding my weight. http://www.7easydays.com Best diet ever!!!
December 30, 2012 • 9:00 am
AdrienneDG
I didn't have much allergies on anything and for pills, I am quite ok with issues about sensitivity. I haven't experienced any bad things while on them though I kind of expected that they would have side effects. I like using Prescopodene the most as I have not experienced any nasty side effects from the moment I started using it. Just losing weight and extra energy(which I find weird, but nonetheless, great for me).
May 18, 2013 • 12:55 am
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