The Scary Truth about Weight Loss Pills. 5 Useful Alternatives Before You Pop One!

It seems that every ailment has a pill attached to it.  The pharmaceutical market advertises like crazy these days.  Restless leg syndrome?  There’s a pill.  Overactive bladder?  There’s a pill.  Weight loss pills have been around forever, but with today’s internet, they are more readily available to just about anyone.

There are three major weight loss pills in the United States:  Xenical, Meridia and Phentermine.  In Europe, there are two additional weight loss pills being produced:  Acomplia and Taranabant.

Xenical is one of the fat-binding weight loss pills.  It is designed to eliminate excess fat by binding with the fat and carrying it out with the stool.  The problem with these weight loss pills are the nasty side effects:  anal leakage and uncontrollable bowel movements.

Meridia has severe cardiac side effects as does Phentermine.  Acomplia had some scary side effects at higher dosages such as depression and suicidal tendencies.  The verdict is not yet in on Taranabant which works the same way Acomplia does but at lower dosages.

When weight loss pills are prescribed by a physician, there are certain factors taken into consideration if the physician is doing his or her job correctly. 

Weight loss pills should only be prescribed if the risk of not taking them outweighs the risk of taking them.  This is the way most things in medicine work.  Is surgery worth the risk?  Sure, if the person is going to die without surgery or suffer a great deal.

It’s the same with weight loss pills.  Obesity can lead to all sorts of medical problems:  cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, joint problems and certain types of cancers to name a few. 

If a person has tried and failed with better alternatives such as diet and exercise, then it is likely that a physician will prescribe weight loss pills to help this person decrease his or her risk of developing all the aforementioned problems.  However, we’re talking about obese individuals.

Weight loss pills should not be prescribed for a person needing to lose ten pounds.  It’s questionable whether or not a person should be prescribed dangerous weight loss pills to lose even 20 pounds.

And the scary thing is that one doesn’t even need a prescription if he or she really wants to get a hold of weight loss pills.  With the internet, weight loss pills are abundantly available.  Scary, but true. 

This is an illegal practice, but the governments have not come up with a good way of dealing with the problem and enforcing the law.  So many people willing to take the risk can order weight loss pills.  Who knows what will be in that bottle?  It could be something as harmless as a placebo which means that the person will just have wasted their money.

On the other hand, it could be weight loss pills that are dangerous.  The weight loss pills might contain tainted ingredients.  They may have been tampered with.

It’s important that people realize that there are no miracles in a bottle.  All weight loss pills are problematic in one way, shape or form.  So what if you lose weight only to develop other more frightening problems.

Weight loss pills cannot and will not ever replace a healthful diet and exercise plan for overall health and well-being.

Instead of popping pills, try the following:

1.  Eat more vegetables

2.  Graze throughout the day rather than eating 3 big meals

3.  Switch to whole grain carbohydrates

4.  Eliminate fatty protein sources

5.  Take up an interest that involves exercise:  dance, sports, yoga

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