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The Ayds Diet Pill

Thanks to the proliferation of Internet video a number of commercials from the early 1980s have made a reappearance - one of which is for the unfortunately named "AYDS".

The AYDS diet pill is neither a hoax or an urban myth.

The pill was an appetite suppressant in the form of a candy. Flavors such as peanut butter, chocolate, or caramel were available.

While popular in the 1970s, the emergence of the AIDS virus in the early 80s soon led to a slump in sales. No surprise given that the sales pitch included lines like "Why take diet pills when you can enjoy Ayds?"

The NY Times (1982) reported that the active ingredient in AYDS was phenylpropanolamine - a substance the FDA has now ruled "not recognized as safe".

See the original commercial here on YouTube - and be ready for some cringe-worthy material. (via Starling)

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37 Comments

Divya

WOW! I thought I had been dreaming those. My mom always had a box of these around and I remember begging her to share the "candy" with me. I also remember being so very upset when she would not give me any. When I was older, after they had dissapeared I always wondered if any kid had gotten sick from eating them.

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Spectra

LOL, I saw this on WebJunk 20 on VH1! It's hilarious. I remember my mom telling me she tried them back in the day and said they didn't really work so she stopped buying them. She also told me that there wasn't any connotation back then to any disease, so no one thought the name was all that hilarious back then.

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www.iportion.com

I heard many children at this stuff up like candy well it was candy.

A scientific study found an increased risk of hemorrhagic stroke in women who used phenylpropanolamine.

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The Necklace Lady

My mom kept a box of these in the bathroom cupboard. I was an excellent "sneak eater" so I used to use the bathroom a LOT! I would sneak these little munchies into my pocket to enjoy later. There were no sweets allowed in the house, so to me these things were delicious. Yep. They were just candy.

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lowcarb_dave

Yeah, I blogged about this before!

This advert is soooo funny!

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Angie

I'm showing my age now, but I used these - they were just like little lumps of chewy fudge, very tasty! You were just meant to have one when you were hungry. They contained some sort of "filler" so you did not feel hungry, and were sweet, so that your sweet tooth was satiated.

Looking back, I guess a glass of water would have had the same effect, but been a lot healthier for you!

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Nancy

I was always overweight as a child and I remember my mom bought these for me. It was before I went to Weight Watchers at the age of 12 so I must have been around 10 years old or so. I had no idea they had phenopropanolamine in them!!

I just remember they were little squares of what was supposed to taste like chocolate individually wrapped in tiny wax paper wrappers. Personally I remember they tasted gross, and on top of that they didn't work. :P

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jj

HEY THOSE THINGS WERE GOOD WE ALWAYS HAD THEM AT MY HOUSE, BUT EVERYONE IN THE HOUSE WAS FAT, SO..............THEY DID NOT WORK FOR US..BUT THEN AGAIN OUR WHOLE LIFESTYLE WAS BASED ON FOOD AND EATING, I HAVE NO IDEA WHY WE EVEN HAD THOSE SITTING THERE NEXT TO THE HOMADE CHEESECAKE AND HOT MILK CAKES AND HOMADE SAUSAGE, FUDGE AND DUMPLINGS.

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joyce

My mom and I both took these things sometime in the late 60s or early 70s. I was too young to understand why we would eat these awful tasting cubes instead of a good old Hershey bar from the corner store. And I could only have one a day? Forget that!

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weight loss

I must be young because I have never heard of this type of candy but it would be nice if it really worked. I love chocolate and would most likely full in love with it if I new it would help my appetite.

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lynn

when i was a kid my aunt and i ate a whole box of these and then went out to dinner!

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James

What about these natural hunger surpressient, like peanut butter, protein, or lean grass fed meats? This pill is unsafe. Period.

I think it's better to go on an atkins diet than to do this. Eat fish. But don't take this frankinpill.

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Debbie

Yep, I remember Ayds. I remember taking them. You were supposed to consume two with a cup of hot water, about 20 minutes before a meal. I don't recall that they did anything for me at all, weight-loss-wise.

Find anything on Metrecal? An early "slimfast" type drink. There were also Metrecal cookies . . .

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mizmode

Oh my goodness, I remember this product. I never did try it. At least I don't think I did. lol

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Linda

Is this product still on the market to be purchased. It really worked for me, and I was wondering whatever happend to it.

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tecola ranucci

where do you purchase these. they worked for me always

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Margerita Ferragamo

OH MY...These worked, they really WORKED. The name is rather politically in-correct but they really worked.

The company that made them, Dep Corporation was creating them up until 1988 in Europe. They were going to market them under a new name in the USA...anyone know about that?

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Ange

No, but tell me more
I have been trying to find any and all info that I can
I would love to see them back on the market
They really worked for me lost 70 pounds over a short period of time.
Ange

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I remember AYDS

I love the Internet. I, too, had been wondering if I had merely dreamed that there was some weird diet candy when I was a kid named AIDS. Well, it's AYDS, but here are all of these other people that remember, too. *wave* We used to sneak a few too, but it clearly wasn't Real Candy....mmm, candy.....

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Bob

Honestly, I think people should just stop trying to take the easy way out of losing weight and just exercise.

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Angie

Um, what about people who are physically unable to exercise?

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Ange

Thank you ! Some people just can not do it.
Folks with COPD for instance

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Marilyn HIll

I found Ayds filling with a cup of hot tea... I would cut them in little pieces and would take each piece with a sip of tea........ It sure filled the craving for a snack in the evening or a sweet through the day. I looked for them forever. Now with a hot tea...I cut up my chocolate caltrate lol and pretend it is the same and it does fill up the craving for sweets. lol If I could buy them again...I would. I love the chocolate mint ones.

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Angela

I used Ayds in 1979, I was 19 and I found them to work well. I ate one or two with a cup of black coffee before my meal and they were satisfying and filling. I ate less and lost 20lbs in less than a month and did not feel deprived. I think the others did not follow directions and eat Ayds with something hot. I would love to be able to buy Ayds again. Better than any diet.

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Ange

Angie:

I have been trying to get in touch with the distibutor
Jeffrey Martin Inc. or the Pres. of Revco Drug Stores Elliot Dworkin(Bankrupt)

Time magizine had an article stating that "Adys sales have never been better". So who sales the Diet Candy Adys?? I lost 70 pounds using that Plan.
If you have any info please let me know.

Ange

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Sally

I used these in the 1970`s and yes they did work. I had put on 4 yes 4 stone during my pregnancy as I wasn`t allowed to do any housework due to previous miscarriages. I lost all the weight within 6 weeks and felt as fit as a fiddle. Shame about the name but if they were around now I would definately use them!!

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jack tirko

i got into my grandmother's stash when i was a kid.
they worked alright. that's why i stopped eating them.
as they said on MONTY PYTHON............
"what's the sport in that?"

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Christos G. Berhane

Steeling from your grandmother? Don't tell me.

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Morticia

I remember reading the Ayds ads in American Girl magazine in the early 70's. They would include before and after photos of the young woman who had used Ayds and how their lives had changed with the weight loss. I remember one line in an ad, "I quit riding my bike when the neighbor kids would hoot when they saw 155 pounds of fat riding down the street." Later, I tried an Ayds at a friend's house and was disappointed, just a rather dreary caramel and they didn't seem to be working for my friend. Those ads were great though, I enjoyed reading them.

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Mystic

I used them and I lost 140 pounds in about 7 months and a girl friend I worked with took them also and lost 120 pounds. Chocolate mint was my favorite I had two with coffee 15 minutes before each meal and it curbed my appetite. I also worked out a lot to stop my skin from sagging it worked back then I was young LOL now I still work out but gravity has kicked in.I wish they still sold them today.

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kelly-ann

how do i purchase ayds?

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kelly-ann

is ayds still on the market?

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Gloria

I used these after I had my first son and I lost all the weight I gained while expecting. I took one with a cup of hot tea 30 minutes before a meal. If I was hungry I had a cup of tea and an aydes. I would love to get them.

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Ange

Me too. If you have any info - Let me know

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Irene M

I lost 42 pounds between October 1974 and May 1975 using the Ayds Plan. I chose the chewy carmel flavor and ate two with a cup of black coffee about twenty minutes before every meal. While I didn't expect them to taste just like Kraft Carmels, I thought they tasted pretty good, especially for a dieting aid. This was the last diet I expected to work and it was the only one that did for me. While following the plan, I was able to continue eating the same things I always enjoyed, but just ate them in much smaller quantities. It was great to start seeing results in a very short time while developing new and better eating habits that you can stick with once you reach your desired weight and stop using the carmels. I still have one Ayds carmel left from the last box I was able to find, perhaps the last one in existence. Regarding an increased risk for stroke in women using phenylpropanolamine, the use of the product was intended to be temporary until you achieved your desired weight. The benefit outweighs the risk, as the loss of weight reduced the risk factors for stroke or heart attack and was healthier than remaining overweight. As for Bob's belief that exercise is the cure-all for everyone, I'd LOVE to see how easily he could perform simple everyday tasks, let alone maintain a vigorous exercise program, if he developed crippling rheumatoid and osteoarthritis, or had to walk around on a weight-bearing bone that was broken and unmended for five years, like I had to. Oh, would I love to have a front row seat to see that!

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Lady JV

I used Ayds in 1970's and they did work for me. I lost 50-60lbs. and know they work. I did not follow the plan except for eating 15 - 20 min. b4 eating and sometime with my meal (back then my lunch and dinner time was not on schedule and I would take them in the morning with my coffee). I really wish I could find them on line, I would buy the whole bunch!. I ame now in my 50's and the things they have on the market does not work for me. Back in the day :-} folks would ask me how I lost the weight and I would tell them with the Ayds candy! I know for a fact that it did work (I got pictures to prove it!) Where can I buy the original formula?

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Diva

I remember taking Ayds, and like most typical diet products, they worked for a short time as an appetite suppressant. I do think that you could probably achieve a similar effect by drinking a cup of hot tea or coffee with a regular caramel candy before a meal. The hot drink was likely a large part of what made it work anyway.

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