Pills and drugs: Darker side of weight loss

Share

We live in an age where a person is not only judged by others based on their body, shape and weight, but one in which people tend to judge themselves on the same basis. With everybody wanting to look like a Jersey Shore participant, it is obvious that questions will be asked about the efficacy and safety of all the miracle weight loss and diet pills that are advertised. Fortunately, medical science, law and public awareness have evolved to a point where unethical or unsafe drugs like amphetamines are no longer touted as legitimate weight loss solutions, but that still does not mean that the diet pill you are considering is free from all harmful effects.

1. Orlistat

Marketed under the brand names of Xenical and the lower-dose OTC drug Alli, orlistat functions by attaching it to the enzymes responsible for breaking down fat in the food you ingest. You are supposed to take this pill thrice a day with meals, and the promise is that it will prevent the digestion and absorption of up to a quarter of the fat you eat. As a result, if you are eating a high fat meal, you will basically excrete much of the fat that you consumed instead of digesting it. The downside of this pill is that users often complain of loose oily stools few hours after a high fat meal with these pills, with some reported instances of uncontrolled diarrhea. The other negative impact of orlistat is that it reduces your ability to absorb fat-soluble vitamins from your diet due to the mechanism of the drug. One of the effects of this pill is that it creates a deterrent to eating high fat meals because of the unpleasant consequences of an uncomfortable and difficult to control bowel movement.

2. Sibutramine

Found in the market as Meridia, this is a prescription drug that works by artificially changing the levels of serotonin and norepinephrine, two neurotransmitters that regulate our sense of fullness or satiety and are integral to the healthy functioning of our brains reward mechanism for life-sustaining activities. Studies have however, linked sibutramine to increased incidence of hypertension, and increased risk for heart attack and stroke. Sibutramine also is expensive, at about $120 for a month’s supply and is not covered by insurance. On the up-side, sibutramine, with its mechanism of altering the brain’s reward system, would be the preferred weight loss pill for those with eating disorders that would make their obesity more of a consequence of an obsessive compulsive disorder.

2. Metformin and exenatide

Prescribed under the brand names of Glucophage and Byetta, these drugs are usually given to facilitate weight loss in diabetics. Metformin works by lowering glucose levels and increasing insulin sensitivity, causing you to be less inclined to hunger or overeating and is used in conjunction with inject-able exenatide that slows down the passage of food out of your stomach to your small intestines, resulting in longer periods of feeling full. The risk with these drugs is that they often cause nausea, stomach upset and diarrhea in the initial stages of treatment. This medication is meant to be used only with overweight people with a diabetic condition.

The only true and tested way to effective weight loss is the traditional way, by cutting back on your caloric intake, and adopting a physically active lifestyle that burns more calories than you consume. Any method that promises a miracle cure likely comes with hidden dangers. There is plenty of information available on how to make a transition to a healthier diet and physically active lifestyle. Support groups exist for those trying to make challenging lifestyle changes. Look up these resources in your neighborhood, and try to adopt the natural method of weight loss, getting moving, getting sweating, and eating the right kind of food.

The most important thing to keep in mind when evaluating diet pills is that they work only in conjunction with ongoing lifestyle changes, changes that will reverse the effects of the lifestyle that led to the weight problem in the first place. This takes time, as neither Rome nor your waistline was built in a day, and any weight loss solution that promises an overnight solution is best stayed away from. Here is a close look at some of the newer medically approved weight loss solutions and how they really work.

Alia Haley is a blogger by profession. She loves writing on topics related to luxury and health. Beside this she is a fitness freak. These days she is busy in writing an article on Weight Training.

Share |