The appeal of losing weight quickly is hard to resist. But do weight-loss pills and products lighten anything but your wallet? And are they a safe option for weight loss? Here’s a look at some of the real effects of having weight loss pills.
There’s no magic bullet for losing weight. The most effective way to lose weight and keep it off is through lifestyle changes. Eat a healthy low-calorie diet with lots of fruits and vegetables and be physically active.
Weight-loss pills — prescription medicines, nonprescription drugs, herbal medicines or other dietary supplements — are all, at best, tools that may help with weight loss. But there is relatively little research about these products, and the best studied of these are prescription weight-loss drugs.
Clinically meaningful weight loss — enough weight loss to begin lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and other diseases — is generally defined as 5 percent or more of body weight.
It’s important to consider, however, that weight loss achieved in a research setting may be greater than in actual practice. Also, possible side effects and adverse reactions to weight-loss pills can affect the treatment outcome.
A reasonable expectation, therefore, is that prescription weight-loss pills may be beneficial, but they won’t be magical. They do not work for everyone, and their benefit may be modest. And researchers know much less about the potential benefits and risks of over-the-counter weight-loss products.
Risks and Dangers
If you have taken diet pills at any time in your life for three months or longer, Houston Methodist Hospital warns you to be on the lookout for shortness of breath.
Feeling short of breath is the most common symptom of pulmonary hypertension, and if it’s caught early, it can be treated. If not, it can be fatal.
Dr. Zeenat Safdar said she typically sees patients long after other doctors have ruled out heart problems, asthma and COPD. She’s the director of the Pulmonary Hypertension Center at Houston Methodist and said mostly women are at risk for the illness.
“Pulmonary hypertension is a fatal disease and we see that in the hospital, we see that in the clinic, patients who come to us already have advanced pulmonary hypertension. By the time they’ve been referred to us, they’ve been to three or four physicians already. They’ve had multiple hospitalizations, so it’s a bad disease. It affects females, it affects younger childbearing potential or up to 50 to 60 years of age,” she said.
For some people, prescription weight loss drugs may help. But you’ll still need to focus on diet and exercise while taking these drugs, and they’re not for everyone.
Doctors usually prescribe them only if your BMI is 30 or higher, or if it’s at least 27 and you have a condition that may be related to your weight, like type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure.
Some pills may also lead to some side effects like abdominal cramping, passing gas, leaking oily stool, having more bowel movements, and not being able to control bowel movements.
Therefore, before you get a weight loss drug prescription, tell your doctor about your medical history. That includes any allergies or other conditions you have; medicines or supplements you take (even if they’re herbal or natural); and whether you’re pregnant, breastfeeding, or planning to get pregnant soon.
