Diet Pills: A Lot Of Risk For A little loss

There are a number of products on the market - both prescription and non-prescription -
which claim to be effective weight loss aids. Many of these have been associated with
serious medical risks, including heart attack, heart abnormalities, tachycardia, stroke,
seizures and death. The side effects can be daunting, but how realistic are they?
Diet pills fall into several different classes. Most are appetite suppressants of one kind or
another, generally stimulants with effects similar to those of amphetamine. They are
approved for treatment of obesity, where it's considered that the health risks associated
with gross overweight outweigh the risks associated with the medication.
For someone who has less than 30 pounds to lose, the risks are far less cut-and-dried.
While the FDA and manufacturers closely monitor the effects of prescription weight loss
medications, over the counter medications and their risks are far less well-documented.
They're even less well-documented for herbal preparations, especially those whose
makers don't officially make weight loss claims for them.
While makers of pharmaceuticals must meet stringent labeling requirements and tests for
safety and effectiveness, those who make weight loss 'supplements' are not regulated in
the same way. As long as they don't contain a 'new' ingredient, or one that has never
been marketed for weight loss purposes, they are not subject to FDA review. Instead, the
manufacturer is held responsible for the safety and effectiveness of their products. Often,
that means unregulated dosages, unhealthy additives and ineffective ingredients.
In an effort to encourage improvement in the reporting standards and the pharmaceutical
standards for weight loss medications, the United States Pharmacopoeia has introduced
the Comprehensive Dietary Supplement Verification Program. Currently voluntary, it
involves certification by the USP of certain labeling and practice standards, including that
the product contains the ingredients stated on the label in the strength declared, that they
are within limits for impurities like metals, pesticides and bacteria, that the medication will
be absorbed by the body according to USP criteria, and that it has been created with all
safe precautions.
Until the day that all over the counter medications and herbal preparations marketed as
weight loss supplements and aids are labeled and tested by impartial researchers, there
are some things that you can do to lessen the risks associated with using diet pills.
Research is your best friend. There's a lot of information out there about drugs and herbs
like ephedra, ephinedrine, phentermine and sibutramine. Know what you're taking and
what the risks are so that you can watch for side effects.
Always talk to your doctor before you start taking any drug or herbal supplement. Many of
them interact poorly with other medications, or have an adverse effect on chronic
conditions.
Follow dosage instructions. Overdoses of stimulant medications, which are a component
of most weight loss preparations, can be serious and severe.
Don't take any weight loss pill or supplement for more than a few weeks without it being
prescribed by a doctor.
Check with your pharmacist when purchasing over the counter weight loss preparations
to be sure that the ingredients don't interact with other medications you may be taking.
Include both prescription and nonprescription medications in your questions.
Ideally, don't take weight loss pills. The effectiveness of most have not been proven at all.
It's an awful lot of risk for such a little loss.