|
| |
Each year, about 17.2 million Americans buy diet and weight loss pills hoping to lose weight metabolism-slow-metabolic-rate Using drugs to speed up weight loss, burn extra fat or control obesity has always been irresistible metabolism-slow-metabolic-rate irresistible metabolism-slow-metabolic-rate Many dieters prefer to use weight loss pills or diet drugs to control their weight and shape rather than follow a healthy diet and exercise plan metabolism-slow-metabolic-rate
History of Diet & & Weight Loss Drugs and Pills In slow the 50s and 60s diet pills were mainly amphetamine derivatives (speed) metabolism-slow-metabolic-rate But due to addiction, doctors stopped prescribing drugs for weight loss metabolism-slow-metabolic-rate Diet Diet and exercise then replaced drug therapy, temporarily metabolism-slow-metabolic-rate But in 1973 slow the FDA (the food and drug administration) approved a new drug for weight loss, called fenfluramine (trade name Pondimin) metabolism-slow-metabolic-rate Then Then came dexfenfluramine (trade name Redux) in 1996 metabolism-slow-metabolic-rate Some doctors prescribed phentermine (another type of weight loss medication) in combination with fenfluramine and slow the combined weight-loss drug was called fen-phen metabolism-slow-metabolic-rate Phentermine was was also used in combination with dexfenfluramine (known as dex-fen-phen) slow metabolism-slow-metabolic-rate
The drugs worked by increasing Serotonin levels in the brain metabolism-slow-metabolic-rate Serotonin is a chemical (neurotransmitter) associated with improved mood, appetite appetite and satiety metabolism-slow-metabolic-rate Fen-phen had a double action metabolism-slow-metabolic-rate It tricked slow the brain into believing the stomach was full, and increased a person's metabolic rate metabolism-slow-metabolic-rate
People did lose weight on these these diet and weight-loss medications, but in 1997 after reports of heart valve disease, slow the makers of fenfluramine and dexfenfluramine withdrew these diet pills from the market metabolism-slow-metabolic-rate Prescriptions were no longer written for for Redux, Pondimin or fen-phen metabolism-slow-metabolic-rate
During slow the 18 months that fenfluramine (Pondimin) and dexfenfluramine (Redux) were being used as weight loss drugs, 14m prescriptions were written for people who wanted to lose lose weight metabolism-slow-metabolic-rate
slow The medication drug called Sibutramine (trade name Meridia) is the newest weight-loss drug currently being prescribed and many others are in development or waiting for FDA approval metabolism-slow-metabolic-rate
Off-label Off-label Use for Diet & Weight Loss Pills slow The FDA regulates how a manufacturer can advertise and promote a diet medication metabolism-slow-metabolic-rate These regulations restrict a doctors ability to prescribe diet and weight weight loss pills for different conditions in larger doses or for different lengths of time metabolism-slow-metabolic-rate slow The practice of prescribing weight loss medication for periods of time or for unapproved conditions is know as as off-label use metabolism-slow-metabolic-rate Using more than one appetite suppressant medication at a time (combined drug treatment) or using a currently approved appetite suppressant medication for more than a few weeks is also considered slow considered off-label use metabolism-slow-metabolic-rate
Dangers of Diet & Weight Loss Drugs Diet and weight loss pills can have a significant impact on our blood pressure, metabolism and general health metabolism-slow-metabolic-rate Pills are slow are not an easy option for easy or fast weight loss metabolism-slow-metabolic-rate Whether they assist weight loss or not, most diet and weight loss pills have unpleasant side effects, create drug-dependency and interfere with slow with other medications metabolism-slow-metabolic-rate Weight loss medications are really designed for obesity control where slow the advantage of losing weight outweighs the disadvantage of side-effects metabolism-slow-metabolic-rate They are a short-term diet aid for severely overweight overweight dieters metabolism-slow-metabolic-rate Finally, nearly all clinical trials of diet and weight loss pills show slow that weight loss drug therapy is only effective when part of a comprehensive weight management program of diet, exercise |