Diet Pill DangersPosting Date: 09/05/2002 Original Posting: 5/10/2000 INTRODUCTION
You might have considered over-the-counter appetite suppressants to lose weight. But even though they may work temporarily, the health risks and side effects may be more than you bargained for.
DEAN EDELL, M.D.
"Jeanine Ackerly has tried over-the-counter diet drugs to suppress her appetite."
JEANINE ACKERLY/USED APPETITE SUPPRESSANTS
"Everybody wants a quick fix and I confess I fall into that too every now and then."
DEAN EDELL, M.D.
"She says the drugs did cut her appetite, but came with unwanted side effects."
JEANINE ACKERLY/USED APPETITE SUPPRESSANTS
"Extremely irritable. You could tell me my slip was showing and I'd bite your head off or start crying."
DEAN EDELL, M.D.
"The most popular over-the-counter appetite suppressants today contain a 'cocktail' of caffeine and ephedra, an herb which has been used in the past to treat asthma and colds. The manufacturers claim the supplements work by raising the body's metabolic rate and inducing a dieter to burn more fat.
"But while some claim the pills have helped them shed pounds, the Food and Drug Administration says it's received reports of 60 deaths possibly linked to ephedra use, and over 12-hundred reports of dieters suffering strokes, seizures and heart problems." JOHN SWARTZBERG, MD/U.C. BERKELEY SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
"It's clearly a drug. I think it should be controlled. It has serious side effects for people."
DEAN EDELL, M.D.
"Ephedra is an amphetamine-like substance that constricts blood vessels while speeding up the heart and nervous system."
JOHN SWARTZBERG, MD
"One side effect is loss of appetite, which is the desired side effect, but the other side effects are fast heart rate, nervousness, insomnia, high blood pressure, and a risk of something catastrophic happening."
DEAN EDELL, M.D.
"Jeanine Ackerly says she now practices 'body acceptance,' and focuses on living as healthfully as possible.
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