Prescription Diet Pills - Supersized problems

The government’s medicines advisory agency this month recommended a new medicine that provides fresh hope in the fight against obesity.

Rimonabant, known by the brand name Acomplia, joins orlistat (Xenical) and sibutramine (Reductil) in the range of weight loss drugs available from doctors on prescription.

But Nicholas Finer, consultant in obesity medicine at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, cautions that while all these drugs have some effect, their ability to sustain weight loss is modest.
The bad news is that most other options are even less effective. For the growing number of obese people Finer sees in his clinic, he estimates that diet and lifestyle changes such as increased exercise achieve, at best, a 4 per cent reduction in weight over two years. He says that the most effective interventions are surgical, using gastric bands or bypasses. Such techniques can reduce weight by 30 per cent on average, and significantly cut the risk of cancer and other diseases.

He dismisses almost everything else as “snake oil”, its effectiveness not proved by clinical trials, including over the counter diet pills and supplements such as hoodia.

Orlistat, which in lower doses is available in the US over the counter and could in future be available in the UK, works in the stomach by preventing the body digesting some of the fat in food. The problem is that it can cause diarrhoea.

Sibutramine acts in the brain to enhance the effect of neurotransmitters that allow people to feel full more quickly and for longer. It can be associated with a dry mouth and constipation. Rimonabant blocks cannabinoid receptors in the brain, which help regulate food intake. Some patients have reported suicidal thoughts after taking it, so the drug is not recommended for patients suffering from depression.

Overall, the most disturbing aspect of the obesity epidemic is that it appears to be a one-way street: modern lifestyles and diets easily allow people to gain weight, but few are able to shed it in the long term.

Weight Loss Pills In The News

Health concerns and desire to look attractive are two major factors that are driving the weight loss industry. Some people are tempted to use OTC medications and weight loss pills to achieve fast results. It should be realized that there is no magic formula or magic wand for losing weight. Healthy eating, low-calorie foods and regular physical activity are the effective ways to lose weight and keep it off.

Remember that even if you take weight loss pills it will be necessary to consume low calorie diet. Also remember that taking pills forever for controlling weight is neither practical nor safe.

Here we shall look at some of the popular diet pills presently in the news:

Clenbuterol
Alli
Xenical
Ephedra
Ma Huang
Bitter orange
Hoodia

Clenbuterol
This drug has been in the news recently under its nickname Size Zero Pill or Size 0 pill. It has earned the nickname because of the extremely undernourished and starved look of some of the fashion icons in Hollywood who have been using this pill. This drug is not meant for human consumption; it is a FDA approved drug for treatment of horses. This drug increases heart rate and body temperature thus help burn fat; it suppresses appetite for as long as nine hours after its consumption. It is an extremely unsafe drug.

Alli
Alli is not a medicine; it is a fat burner or fat blocker. It is a FDA approved OTC weight reduction product. Weight gain is caused by excess calorie intake, and consumption of fat is the main cause of excess calorie intake, Alli blocks about 25 % of the fat consumed from being digested; the undigested fat passes through the body in the natural way. Since the fat is prevented from being digested, Alli is effective in weight loss.

When you use Alli you are required to limit your meals to 15 gms of fat each, failing which you are likely to have extremely unpleasant side reactions such as bowel movements, loose stools, very frequent visits to “loo”, “farting” with oily discharge, etc.

Since even a popular burger exceeds Alli’s limit of permissible fat content, it is a serious limitation the dieter has to contend with.

Xenical

Alli and Xenical are similar; their composition is the same so their limitations and usefulness (!) will be similar.

Ephedra

Ephedra (ephedrine alkaloid) used in dietary supplements suppresses the appetite. Many popular products used for weight control were found to be using Ephedra at one time. However, it has now been totally banned due to safety concerns. In spite of the ban many ephedra products are still sold on the Internet.

Many athletes considered Ephedrine as a performance-enhancing drug. Due to safety concerns it has been prohibited in most competitive sports.

Ma Huang

This is the Chinese name for Ephedra. It also has been banned in USA.

Bitter Orange

This non-prescription OTC product is claimed to increases the number of calories burned and thus help weight loss. It is being sold as a substitute for Ephedra. It may also cause health problems as Ephedra does. Its long term effects are not known.

Hoodia

This is an extract from a cactus-like succulent plant from deserts of South Africa. It is being sold as natural appetite suppressant. This has not been evaluated for safety, effectiveness, or purity by the FDA and it is a potentially risky product for weight loss.