Our Views

I read an interesting statistic today – the money spent annually in the U.S. on weight loss products is about double what it would take to feed the world’s hungry for a year. You might think that has nothing to do with drugs – but, it does: much of that money is spent on diet pills. Basically, they’re speed. And some experts say they are highly addictive, a problem that may require drug detox and rehab.

Why do people choose drugs as a weight loss option? Usually, the answer is simple – they don’t want to change the way they eat and they don’t want to exercise. The pills speed up the central nervous system, brain and spine, so the body burns fat while suppressing the appetite.

However, they do have side effects: diarrhea, vomiting, tightness in the chest and urinary tract problems are the most common. But if you overdose you can expect convulsions, tremors, confusion, shallow breathing, hallucinations, kidney failure, heart attack and stroke.

You’re advised to stop taking them immediately if you get mood swings, hyperactivity, stomach cramps, insomnia, nightmares, severe irritability, fatigue, depression, nausea, vomiting or trembling.

That’s a big risk to take to lose a few pounds.

And then there’s dependency and, possibly, addiction. I can’t find any statistics on how many people are dependent on diet pills, but it is fairly common among people with eating disorders, and even Angelina Jolie and Nicole Richie have been said to be addicted.

As with any drug, getting off diet pills not be easy. Find a good medically supervised drug detox program, and then check out your other options for weight loss. Maybe some of the money you spent on diet pills can feed people who are starving.

Popularity: 18% [?]