Diet Pills - Do They Work? Yep They Do

by Jacki Donaldson (Subscribe to Jacki Donaldson's posts)
Dec 4th 2008 9:00AM

Diet pills do work. But they've gotten more dangerous than effective over the years, and experts warn that there's no miracle potion out there that can shrink you back into your college jeans without compromising your health. Diet and exercise -- now, these are two formulas that work. Still, we're on a hunt for the perfect skinny pill.

Redbook magazine digs up the scoop on five popular diet drugs and offers a rundown on them all right here. There's Alli (orlistat), Meridia (sibutramine), Zimulti (rimonabant), Glucophage (metformin), and Byetta (exenatide). If you think blocking the digestion of fat calories is the way to go, Alli might be your drug. But if you eat too much fat, you'll need to be prepared for loose, oily stools. Maybe you'd like to just feel full faster. Then Meridia is tops. Well, if you don't mind high blood pressure and an increased risk of heart attack or stroke. Shutting off your appetite is another possible fix, thanks to Zimulti, which might just happen to turn on a little anxiety and depression.

You get my drift, right? Yes, weight-loss drugs work. Their effectiveness just comes with a cost-- one I'm not wiling to pay. How about you?

Want to lose weight? Here's how:(click thumbnails to view gallery)

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Comments (4)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Andrew R 12-04-2008 @ 2:19PM

Pills are not the answer. People always want these magic shortcuts, but that always has a price. Just do it the healthy way, you'll feel so much better about yourself if you earn it!

All the Best,

Andrew R

CC 12-05-2008 @ 9:50AM

Ok, so I have a dirty little secret. I take a diet pill. Phentermine to be exact. I got it from my dr. I am 5'5" and I was up to 180lbs. I was fat. I was uncomfortable in my own skin. I was exercising, I was watching what I ate. I was so very careful and NOTHING. So when I went to the Dr, I asked him if there was something and this is what he gave me. You see about 6 years ago I was diagnosed with an underactive thyroid. Let me know tell you getting fat is just one of the many many side effects of this condition. If you do not have it, you would not understand. It messes with your whole body and mind. It has since been regulated, but I still have a metabolism of a 90 year old man - a dead one, of course. I did get back to 125lb after my 3rd child, but after the 4th I have found it impossible. I work out everyday and it does not matter. So, I needed something to get my metabolism going. This drug has helped me. I have only been on it for about a month and a half and I am down to 155lb. I know you are going to say that is too much in a short time, but if you are overweight, the fat just flies off if you are doing what you are supposed to be, exercising and watching what you eat. I only have one refill left and I do not plan on asking for more, this just gave me the boost I needed. I was so unhappy with myself, and now I am very happy. (I will say I have fat issues - my mom and sis are very big women(no thyroid condition) and I was always the 120lb even when wet sister. Though, if I looked bloated or something, they would say "looking a little chubby today, huh?" or something rude like that. So I am obsessed with not looking like them.)
All in all, the phentermine has not caused me any adverse side effects. For the first few days, I could not sleep til about 3am, but that was fine, I was sewing homemade Halloween costumes and would have been up that late anyway. One day I did have a few heart palpitations, but that went away after the one day. I check my blood pressure regularly and it is perfect.
Diet pills can work for someone who wants to change. It is not for the overweight person who does not want to change their life style. I am not on a diet, I am just living differently. Its not for the closet snack eater. Not for the mom who hides food in her glove box. It is not for the people who think if no one sees them eat it, then it does not count. It is for people that just need a little boost, to get the weight loss started.

I know there are tons of you out there that are not going to agree and post nasty like things - it always happens. I just have to say to you, I am not just a blog post, I am a person - a wife - a mom and I am just doing what works for me. Just sharing my story.

Julia 12-09-2008 @ 3:28PM

Good for you, CC. I was in the same boat. My metabolism just stopped when I turned 45. I had lost 50 lbs. in the preceeding two years (205 to 155), and then blam! I gained it all back in a year. So the next year, I said "screw this" and went on a 1500 cal. eating plan. I went to the gym 5 times a week for 30 mins. cardio, and 3 times a week for another 30 mins of cardio plus 30 mins. strength training. I did that for a year. Guess how much I lost? Nothing!

When I explained this to my doctor, he initally wanted me to take phentermine, but I can't deal with that speedy feeling. So I've started Meridia. I've only been on it a month, but I have noticed a difference in how I sense feeling "full". You can cheat and "eat through" Meridia, but if you really pay attention, it seems to make a difference.

Jason 1-07-2009 @ 11:58AM

Nice to see the comments so far as a webmaster for a pro diet pill site I get a lot of emails from people who really struggled until they found diet pills.

I do agree that a lot of people gain weight back after dieting as many people dont change what got them fat in the first place, in the case of thyroids diet pills become a permanent. Pills can be used to "cheat" perhaps enabling people to believe in themselves. My personal favorite part of my site is the tips section, in my experience gimicks work http://www.w8lossreviews.com