Do The Risks of Weight Loss Medications Outweigh The Benefits?
There are many drugs in the market for weight loss. Patients from all walks of life come to clinics in search of medication which is going to make them thinner without any effort. No exercise, no dieting. It seems like the perfect and obvious choice. But is it? What about the side effects of these medications? Would it do more harm than good?
For the answer, we may have to go a little bit into the history of weight loss medications. In the 90’s, a popular medication for weight loss was commonly prescribed. It was called “phen-fen” and composed of phentermine and fenfluramine. However, this drug was later recalled due to the side effects of the medication. It damaged the heart valves. Apparently, the component which was the problem in the combination was fenfluramine. Phentermine on its own did not appear to have the same effect.
Currently, the more well-known weight loss medications available in the market are Reductil/Meridia(Sibutramine) and Xenical. Reductil/Meridia is an appetite suppressant and Xenical/Alli inhibits the breakdown and absorption of fat. These medications are approved for use in conjunction with lifestyle modification. Weight loss is typically seen after a few months of taking the medication. After this, weight loss tends to plateau off .
Another weight loss medication in the market is Duromine. With Duromine, weight loss is seen much faster, typically in a few weeks. However, side effects are unpleasant. Most people taking Duromine experience excessive thirst, insomnia, mood swings, lethargy and palpitations. It can be a little frightening when experiencing these effects. Some people are unable to tolerate Duromine due to the side effects.
The concept of taking pills for weight loss may be very tempting indeed. After all, popping a pill is infinitely easier than driving to the gym, looking for a parking space and then sweating it out on the treadmill or weights machine for an hour before dragging yourself home. However lets stop to consider the side effects of these medications.
Reductil/Meridia – the most common side effects are dry mouth, anorexia, insomnia, constipation and headache. However there is a long list of potential side effects including heart problems, seizures and high blood pressure. For a complete list of side effects of Meridia, have a look at Meridia side effects.
Xenical/Orlistat/Alli – As Xenical blocks fat absorption, the fat consumed is eliminated as waste products. This produces oily stool, abdominal bloating, nausea, diarrhoea, abdominal cramps and even leakage of oily stool. These symptoms are reduced with low-fat diets. Other side effects include reported cases of kidney and liver damage. Uncontrolled high blood pressure was also noted.
The message in this article is that all medications have side effects. Although reported cases of side effects may be few, but we still have to weigh the risks of taking a certain medication against the benefits we are going to receive. For example, a person who is not able to lower persistent high blood pressure via lifestyle measures would benefit from taking drugs. In this case, the benefits of taking a blood pressure lowering drug outweighs the risks.
We must remember that any medication we take can potentially cause serious side effects. Is this risk really worth it for losing weight when lifestyle changes can provide the same effect? My answer is that if the person is able to exercise and keep to a good diet, that is the road to take. It is safe and has many other good benefits beyond weight loss. Medications should be reserved for people who are obese and have some contraindication to exercise, eg arthritis of the joints. Even then, only short courses of these medications should be taken because people who are obese also tend to have other issues such as high blood pressure and heart disease which again compound the side effects of the medication.
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Tags: Alli, diet, Duromine, exercise, fenfluramine, Meridia, Orlistat, Phen-fen, phentermine, Redyctil, sibutramine, side effects, weight loss medications, Xenical, obesity, fat absorption, weight loss medication
After taking reductil for over a year I started to have spasms in my heart and severe chest pain. The symptoms were, numbness of the left arm, constant cold sweat all over the body and excrutiating pain in the chest. Now looking back i realise that the company who produces REDUCTIl doesnt care about the affects it has on people but more about how much money they can make. I almost died because of this pill and everyone who is even thinking or taking reductil STOP! its not worth your life.