Health Dangers of Weight Loss Medications
to Treat Obesity
Health Risks of Weight Loss Pills
Health Risks of Weight Loss Drugs - Introduction
All drugs involve health risks, including
diet and weight loss drugs. The question is: do the benefits outweigh
the risks?
- For someone suffering from obesity,
who weighs (say) 250 pounds and whose weight is already causing health
problems, the answer is probably Yes. After all, the health risks of
morbid obesity are well documented.
- But for someone who has 30 pounds of
weight to lose and whose health is normal, accepting health risks associated
with weight loss pills simply to lose weight makes less sense.
- But much depends on the availability
of health risk information. Although prescription weight loss medications
are closely monitored by maker and the FDA, the quality and quantity
of health risk data concerning over the counter weight loss pills is
less good.
How to Minimize Health Risks and Dangers
of Weight Loss Pills
If you want to take weight loss pills but
you want to reduce the health risks, follow these elementary precautions.
- Always consult your doctor before taking
weight loss pills. Ask about health risks.
- Follow instructions, do not overdose.
The health risks of overdosing on weight loss pills can be severe.
- While taking the pills, maintain contact
with your doctor. Describe any side-effects.
- Unless advised by your doctor, do not
take any weight loss pills for longer than a few weeks. The health risks
of weight loss pills increase with length of use.
- When buying over-the-counter weight
loss medications, check with your pharmacist that the pills do not clash
with other medications. Since certain diet pills contain similar active
ingredients to (e.g. decongestants, cough medicine), combining certain
medications with weight loss pills carries health risks of accidental
overdosing.
Health Risks of Fen-Phen Weight Loss Pills
On September 15, 1997 the prescription
weight loss pills redux and fenfluramine were recalled by their manufacturers
after the FDA recommended that anyone taking them stop and consult with
their doctors. The FDA asked manufacturers to withdraw the drugs after
reviewing the records of 291 patients and found 30 percent had abnormal
heart-test results. Some 92 patients had problems with their aortic or
mitral heartvalves, the data showed. Other serious side-effects of these
weight loss drugs included: nervousness, dry mouth, rapid or irregular
heartbeat, sleep disturbances, diarrhea, depression. Participants in studies
of these drugs gradually regained the weight they'd lost when they stopped
taking the medication.
Health Risks of Meridia Weight Loss Pills
Currently, there are a number of health
risks associated with Sibutramine (brand name Meridia) a relatively new
weight loss drug that acts on the brain to reduce appetite. It is banned
in Italy and being reviewed by authorities in France and the UK where
there have been more than 100 serious adverse reactions and two deaths.
Due to it's potent side-effects, people who have a history of hypertension,
heartbeat-irregularities, stroke, heart disease, congestive heart failure,
or uncontrolled high blood pressure should not use Meridia. The drug maker,
Knoll Pharmaceutical Co., is urging physicians to carefully monitor the
blood pressure of all patients taking Meridia. In clinical tests, the
average yearly weight loss for patients taking a standard 10 mg dose was
only six and a half pounds more than the loss in those taking a placebo.
Side Effects of Orlistat (Xenical) Weight
Loss Pills
Orlistat is a different type of weight
loss drug. Called a lipase-inhibitor, it helps reduce the amount of fat
absorbed during digestion. Orlistat's most commonly reported side effects
are bloating, diarrhea, and oily stools. In one clinical trial involving
Orlistat, patients who took the drug and followed a weight-loss diet for
one year lost an average of 19.3 pounds, while those who followed the
diet and took a placebo lost 12.8 pounds, on average. It is not effective
for weight loss unless combined with a low-fat diet.
Health Risks of Phenylpropanolamine (PPA)
in Weight Loss Pills
On November 6, 2000 the Federal Drug Administration
(FDA) announced a ban on the sale of PPA in products that are sold without
a doctor's prescription. PPA is a common ingredient in appetite suppressants
such as Acutrim and Dexatrim as well as many popular cough/cold medications.
PPA has been linked to an increased risk of hemorrhagic stroke, commonly
referred to as "bleeding in the brain". The use of diet pills
containing PPA did not make a big difference in the rate of weight loss
for most people. Even the best studies showed only about a half-pound
greater weight loss per week using PPA combined with diet and exercise..
Health Risks of Ephedra in Weight Loss
Pills
A 2001 study published in the New England
Journal of Medicine concluded the herb could cause high blood pressure,
heart problems, stroke, seizures and death. And the FDA has reports of
100 deaths among ephedra users. Yet manufacturers adamantly claim the
reports do not prove the product is risky and ephedra-containing products
remain on the market. Because of the 1994 law, the burden of proof falls
on the FDA to show a product is dangerous and regulatory action has proved
difficult.Three years after unsuccessfully attempting to ban high doses
and require warning labels, the controversial sales continue. In June
of this year, the federal government initiated a new safety review and
two months later, the Justice Department announced they were conducting
a criminal investigation into whether a leading ephedra seller lied about
the safety of this dietary supplement.
Health Risks of Herbal Weight Loss 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 weight loss
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.
Health Risks of Appetite Suppressant Weight
Loss pills
There are various risks associated with
appetite suppressants, including: raised blood pressure, elevated heart
rate, restlessness, nervousness, difficulty sleeping, and dry mouth. Besides
the health risks, appetite suppressant weight loss pills are not a permanent
solution to controlling your weight. Almost all consumers who take appetite
suppressants eventually regain the pounds they shed, FDA spokesman Jason
Brodsky says.
Reducing Health Risks in Weight Loss Pills
- Dietary Supplement Verification Program
To encourage improvement in standards,
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.
Weight Loss Pills and Health Risks - Bottom
Line
- Seek your doctor's advice before launching
into any weight-loss program, or taking any over-the-counter diet pill
or supplement.
- When choosing weight loss pills be aware
of the health risks you may be facing.
- Ideally, avoid weight loss pills altogether.
No pill can offer risk-free weight loss and few can offer more than
an extra 10 ounces of extra weight loss per month.
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