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The history of diet pills dates back decades, with the diet pill prescription industry being at its height of popularity about thirty years ago. At this time, most diet pills had amphetamines, or “speed”, as it would be called on the street. The substance is dangerous and addictive, thus the reason for its illegality as a narcotic.
As doctors continued to prescribe these to their patients, however, it was noted that most women either were losing very little weight or not being able to keep off the weight that was lost. At the same time, these women were becoming addicted to the amphetamines in the diet pill prescription. |
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The Long and Debatable History of Diet PillsIn time, doctors steered away from prescribing such medication for weight loss treatment and weaned patients off their current prescriptions. However, diet pills never completely went away, and have continued to evolve and adapt to the times, with new diet pill drugs and ingredients being presented all the time as the “latest breakthrough in weight loss and weight management”.
The most recent history of diet pills was quite controversial and had dietary supplements pulled from shelves around the country with forced changes to formulation or at least labeling. The active ingredient in the best diet pill offerings on the market was Ephedra, also known as Ma Huang. This ingredient is based on the drug Ephedrine, which is similar in make up to amphetamines, though not illegal to use.
In most cases, users of diet pills with Ephedra saw significant weight loss and managed to keep most of the pounds off through diet and exercise. However, there were some very negative side effects that brought about huge law suits for several manufacturers of dietary supplements containing Ephedra.
While Ephedra related products showed the typical side effects of heart palpitations, insomnia, irritability, high blood pressure, and even vomiting, it also led to complications including stroke, kidney failure, miscarriages, heart attack, and even death. It was determined that Ephedra was the cause of a particular valvular disease, otherwise not common to develop in users, and for this reason, diet pills containing the substance were recalled and reformulated.
In the past ten years, Meridia, Xenical and Acomplia have also faced harsh criticism from doctors and pharmacists concerned over side effects. Meridia reviews noted a possibility of gastrointestinal problems while Xenical faced issues of causing high blood pressure and Acomplia caused mood disorders, but none of these reviews were enough to stop the FDA from banning them from the diet pill market.
Many groups are petitioning the FDA’s decisions suggesting that these three weight loss drugs need to be removed from shelves before they end in lawsuits like Ephedra caused. Most Xenical products are now only available through prescription, but Meridia is often still available OTC, with suggestions that it should only be taken under a doctor’s supervision.
Today, the best diet pill offering over the counter help in managing weight loss will have a warning label regarding the fact that it still has small quantities of Ephedra. These can only be sold in some markets and can only be purchased by individuals over the age of 18. However, a diet pill prescription can still be written for diet pills containing Ephedra and may be used in the instance that a doctor finds the potential health risks of remaining obese to outweigh the possibility of other side effects caused by the drug. If you do receive a diet pill prescription for an Ephedra containing product, you should take only as directed and follow your doctor’s advice otherwise, remaining under his or her watchful care at all times.
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