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Diet pills promise quick results with minimal effort. Many people know about their harm. Back in the 90s, a scandal about the content of parasites in diet pills thundered in the domestic media. Of course, not all preparations contain worms, but most of them contain components that do not help get rid of body fat. Let’s figure out what these components are and how they are dangerous.
Diet pills with a diuretic effect
Such tablets include Furosemide, Uregit, Lasix, Turboslim Drainage, Oxodolin, etc. In losing weight, the “diuretic effect” is associated with the withdrawal of excess fluid, but this is not the same thing. Removing excess fluid means getting rid of puffiness. It can be caused by an imbalance in the water-salt balance, certain diseases, stress, and nutritional disorders. First, you need to understand the reason, and then choose a suitable method or several ways to restore normal body functions, thereby relieving swelling.
Pills with a diuretic effect do not contribute to this – they only remove the symptom for a short time. That is, when you finish taking the pills, you will return the weight back. But this is not the worst thing. With urine and sweat, we lose important vitamins and minerals, so we must eat a healthy variety of foods and drink enough water to replenish the loss (calorifier). Diuretic drugs increase these losses – they remove a lot of sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium and other substances from the body, on which the water-salt balance, the work of the heart and nervous system directly depend. By depriving yourself of these substances, you risk adding a few more to the main problem – puffiness, heart dysfunction, cramps and spasms, fragility of bones and teeth.
Diet pills with laxative effect
Among the well-known drugs are Turboslim, Royal Slimming Formula, Senade and others. Many diet pills contain a variety of herbs. Some herbs have a direct laxative effect, like hay grass. Some drugs do not contain herbs, but substances that thin the stool, irritate the intestinal walls and increase peristalsis. Why is it dangerous?
Those who are losing weight believe that regular bowel movements somehow help get rid of fat, but this is not the case. Weight goes away with feces and is replenished with the next meal. Long-term use of laxatives causes lazy bowel syndrome. Once accustomed to stimulation, it will stop working on its own. The consequences are frequent constipation, inability to empty themselves, hemorrhoids, dysbiosis and intoxication.
Fat and carbohydrate blockers
There are a number of drugs that contain substances that interfere with the absorption of fats or carbohydrates from food. These are Orlistat, Xenical, XL-S, Glucobay. The mechanism of their action is poorly understood and scientifically not confirmed. They are all known to be ineffective in the absence of a low-calorie diet and cause indigestion.
Some preparations with a complex composition of herbs, which are positioned as cleansing and helping to control hunger, contain insoluble dietary fiber (fiber). Fiber is really effective during weight loss. It promotes satiety and interferes with fat absorption, but you can get it from cereals, vegetables, fruits, or fiber supplements. There is no point in spending fabulous money on pills.
Psychoactive substances in diet pills
Psychoactive substances affect the nervous system. Among the well-known drugs are Thai tablets (containing the stimulant phentermine, an analogue of the drug amphetamine) and Emagrecim (containing phenproporex, also an analogue of amphetamine), which cause addiction and disorders of the nervous system. The film “Requiem for a Dream” clearly shows how the use of such drugs can turn out. Fluoxetine, an antidepressant that is prescribed to people with obesity and depressive mental disorders, is also psychoactive.
There are also drugs that interfere with neurotransmitters to increase satiety. This substance is sibutramine, which is found in the preparations of Lindax, Reduxin, Meridia, Lida. To date, sibutramine is poorly understood, but it is known that it causes a lot of side effects – hypertension, insomnia, headaches, constipation. Self-medication deaths have also been recorded.
Another well-known appetite control drug, Rimonabant, was included in the list of banned in the US, EU and Russia for provoking nervous disorders in patients – from irritability and insomnia to deep depression.
Forewarned is forearmed
Of course, not all drugs are as dangerous as the ones listed above. Many of them are completely useless – they are placebos or phyto supplements with fiber and a complex composition of herbs in their composition, without a pronounced effect.
Remember, that:
- Any drug has side effects, it just may not be immediately noticed. If the manufacturer promises to “easily” and “forever” relieve you of extra pounds, rejuvenate and improve your health, do not believe it.
- Not everything natural is healthy. “Traditional medicines”, “natural ingredients”, “eco / organic” can also be hazardous to health. Poisons, for example, are often prepared from plants.
- “Sensation”, “scientific breakthrough”, “studies have shown” are nothing more than marketing manipulations.
- Reviews on the Internet about a particular product are often written to order by people who have not even used it.
Manufacturers often cheat by using words that are pleasing to the ear (calorizator). For example, the consumer is told that the tablets “increase energy” or “improve mental and physical performance”, but in fact contain stimulants or psychoactive substances.
Diet pills are either always a big risk to your own health, or money down the drain. No drug works on its own – only with diet. The good news is that creating a calorie deficit works great on its own. Sometimes doctors prescribe pills as part of complex therapy. It is important to understand that when prescribing drugs, the doctor takes into account the degree of obesity, concomitant diseases, prescribes a specific dosage and regimen, and then monitors the patient’s condition. Even so, the patient is not immune to side effects.