Diet Pills - FDA Investigates 69 of Them

by Jacki Donaldson (Subscribe to Jacki Donaldson's posts)
Jan 8th 2009 4:00PM

Diet pills are under investigation, as they should be. They might work for some people but even on a good day, they mess with the body in ways good old fashioned diet and exercise don't. Sorry Wynonna, we're just not fans of pills around here.

The Food and Drug Administration is adding 41 products to last month's alert about tainted diet pills. There are now 69 suspect drugs out there. And the FDA is buying them, testing them and considering what to do about it all. Criminal charges are a possibility.

Here are some of the problem pills:

Sibutramine, the active ingredient in the FDA-approved weight-loss drug Meridia. It can cause seizures, heart attack or stroke. Ouch.
Rimonabant, the active ingredient in Acomplia, not-FDA approved. Approval has been withdrawn in Europe too.
Phenytoin, an anti-seizure medication.
Phenolphthalein, a suspected carcinogen.
Bumetamide, a diuretic, which is connected to a now-recalled weight-loss pill called StarCaps.
A "large majority" -- but not all -- of the diet pills are made in China.

So, here's the deal. You should wary of any drug, under FDA investigation or not, that promises effortless weight loss. The only thing you ought to be popping in your mouth is a bunch of nutritious food and some water to wash it down. Really. We feel strongly about this. That's why we're all over the America Takes It Off program. Nothing iffy about what you'll find here.