SubscribeWeight Loss Drugs Produce Minimal Results
This just in: There is still no magic bullet for weight loss.
Canadian researchers analyzed the results from 30 trials where adults with an average weight of 100 kilograms (220 lbs) took anti-obesity drugs for a year or longer. The study was published in the British Medical Journal.
The study looked at the “big 3” of weight loss drugs: Xenical (Orlistat), Meridia (Sibutramine) and the artist formerly known as Acomplia - now Zimulti (Rimonabant).
Xenical: 2.9 Kg (6.4 lbs)
Meridia: 4.2 kg (9.2 lbs)
Acomplia: 4.7 kg (10.3 lbs)
Not exactly earth-shattering. Now let’s weigh those results (pun intended) against some of the more common side-effects of these drugs;
Xenical: Gas with oily discharge, loose stools, an urgent need to go to the bathroom, inability to control bowel movements; stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, rectal pain. Add to that a reduced absorption of beta-carotene and the fat soluble vitamins (A,D,E,K)
Meridia: Dry mouth, headache, loss of appetite, trouble sleeping, and constipation.
Acomplia: Mood disorders that range in severity. This drug was rejected for approval in the U.S. in July 2007. See diet blog article here.
To be fair, not everybody experiences these side-effects. Further, the study mentioned varying degrees of improvement when it came to blood lipids and blood sugar control. But alas, I don't think that most people would swap those undesirable effects for a loss of under a pound per month.
It would be interesting to see such a study that took exercise and dietary habits of the drug-takers into consideration. I wonder how much emphasis physicians are placing on exercise and dietary interventions when prescribing such medication. Perhaps this study will help shine the spotlight on tried-and-true methods of fat loss. That, or pharmaceutical and supplement companies will scramble to find another billion dollar pill.
Too bad they did'nt include metformin....probably because it is not technically a weight loss drug.
ReplyThis is what I have been saying and writing for the last decades! Weight Loss drugs is an American Marketing machine... Come on ! Wake up ! ;) http://www.themorbidme.com
ReplyI'm not sure about the other drugs on there, but I know that orlistat (Xenical) really only works if you change your lifestyle. It blocks fat absorption, but you're supposed to cut your fat intake, not just eat the way you usually do. But yeah, you're not going to lose a significant amount of weight just by taking a pill. It just doesn't work that way. I really hope that doctors aren't just prescribing these pills for people that say they want them.
ReplyThere are healthy fats so why block them all? I take fishoil so if I took any of these I would be in trouble.
Some vitamins are fat soluble so why block them?
Oh I know, lazyness, people looking for quick fixes and thinking all fats make you fat.
Diet and Muscle burns fat.
Replyi have taken some diet aids and they work in the sense that i fooled my mind. lol.
ReplyWeight loss drugs are for desperate cases. Taking too much chemicals in the body cause the body to stay immune.Losing weight begins in the mind. Think you can you will.
ReplyI am totally unsurprised by this.
ReplyI take a phentermine/prozac combo. While I love the effects of the medication (it helps me stay in complete control), I know that once I quit the meds I'll regain weight if I don't have a solid plan in place. I've taken phen off and on for years, so I'm all too familiar with the after effects. It's a vicious cycle.
ReplyMaybe some people get temporary results, but in order to achieve changes that last a lifestime, "habit-patterns" must be changed! Nothing, no "magic" drug,diet, lotion or potion, has ever surpassed the results that the tried-n-true method of: Regular Exercise + Proper Nutrition = Positive Physcial/Physiological Changes, gets. Since Jacl LaLane's time it has worked! All the Best,
ReplyDr. Dave @ fat2trim.
yes i agreed with what you said.
Those diet pills have a certain limit of tolerance. Most studies of weight-loss programs shown that a patient’s weight tends to level off after a certain period of time while still consuming the diet pills. The leveling off may means that the medication has reached its limit of effectiveness.
ReplyI know from experience there is no magic pill that will melt the pounds that stay off. The only way to lose weight and keep it off is to change to healthy eating and get moving with plenty of exercise. I was overweight my entire life and only in the last year came to the conclusion that to get results I will have to work hard and change my lifestyle. I have lost 50 pounds and have a long way to go, but for once in my life I feel like I have finally gotten in control and taken responsibility for my weight. I know I will succeed and I am sorry I wasted so much of my life trying pills and unhealthy fad diets.
ReplyGood for you, Jillian! That is a monstrous step - keep up the great work. Always inspiring to hear stories like yours.
ReplyI take Meridia and I have lost 104 pounds, but to tell the truth, Meridia is just a small weapon in my weight loss arsenol, the big guns are my daily hour of treadmill walking, and my diet which is very healthy and natural. A big change for me since I used to be really inactive and eat about 6000 calories a day.
ReplyHumans are hardwired to avoid difficulty and take the path of least resistance by default. The nature of humans will always make a market available for these types of products, unfortunately.
ReplyOkay, i have a pretty large amount of knowledge on weight loss stuff.
I can honestly say that anything you get over the counter(hydroxycut hardcore, Stacker, "the Burn", Etc) is going to do nothing but speed up your heart, give you high blood pressure, give you headaches, and over enough time, cause internal issues. Now, having said that, i would like to point out that most of the people that use them and do end up losing weight have only got a mental edge from the meds, which made them workout longer, the meds themselves didnt cause the wieght loss, it just jacked them up so much that they worked out longer.
Next point, if you ever hear anyone say they took a weight loss drug(OTC) and lost weight without any exercise or change in eating habits, smack them in the head, because they are lying to your face. It is not possible, in any way, shape or form .
Next, if you ever took weight loss pills that had ephedra in them, you probably did lose a little weight, because ehpedra is soo potent, but you have no right o say that weight loss pills work, they stopped working when Ehpedra was banned, caffiene and all that other crap, dont do near enough.
Prescription weightloss pills---
They work, but again, are not worth it. They dont do enough to really make that big a difference in total weight lost. maybe 2 to 5 pounds(if your lucky) and when you stop taking them, you will gain the weight back unless you have a strong enough will to stop eating almost completely. And again, these medications are not safe for most people who would need them. Especially if your obese, if you're obese, u are straining your heart seriously and you should not be putting most prescription strength(or even OTC for that matter) into your system. All you do is stress you heart horrendously and possibly cause you to have a heart attack, stroke, palpitations, and tachycardia . among other things. Does that sound fun to you? not to me.
Illegal Weight/fat loss meds-
I do not condone under any circumstance using these, they are more dangerous(and more effective) than anything your going to get OTC or prescription for weight loss.
-Clenbuterol- to give you an idea of the potency of Clen, it can increase you fat burnig and weightloss capabilities by 10%(fyi, dont quote me on that, not 100%positive) and is often used to treat horses. It drastically raises bloodpressure, and all that good stuff ( i dont feel like getting into all that, there is soo much)
There are others that are more powerful than Clen, but i dont have time to get into them, sorry.
ReplyDiet pills may be all the rage, but dying certainly is not. Fad diets have been around for decades and so have fad diet pills. The difference is that today's weight loss pills have become more drug filled than what was available on the market twenty years ago. Those that decide to take these pills must be aware of the dangers and what could potentially happen to them. We only have one life to live and taking a risky weight loss diet pill may be the quickest way to end it.
ReplyI also took diet pills but I observed they brought no results. Moreover I gained more pounds. My mistake is I started taken them without any prescription.
ReplyI would agree that most of these listed pills have been largely oversold. That seems to be the pattern now with prescription drugs. Doctors are inundated by pitches from pharmaceutical detail people who are assigned doctors and territories and sell their pills to the doctors. Their job it would appear is to convince the doctor that their patient who now is on six prescription pills really should be taking seven of them. Try to remember this for future reference... go to the doctor and take note of the pens the doctors are using, the props around the office that have drug names on them... notepads, tissue boxes, anatomical models... anything with a drug name on it...and see if you don't leave the office that day with a prescription for at least one of them. It is fairly ridiculous really. Meanwhile, the doctors are earning points toward that continuing education course provided by the drug maker... delivered while on a cruise ship that is traveling the carribean. Again, maybe a bit more than just ridiculous. There are natural ways to do the things you can do with these above listed pills. People don't need prescriptions to lose weight.
ReplyYou can never tell. Some weight loss pills have bad side effects, of course, but from my experience there are some that have none too. At least they had none for me.
The thing most people don't realize is that you need to exercise and diet properly if you want your weight loss pills to work.
Everyone should first get some nutrition and training plans, stick to them, and then get yourself some diet pills, but first they should research, not only product facts, but people's reviews too.
Replythe only thing I experienced is Herbal life it was designed for people that wanted to loose but could not exercise because of being confinded to a wheel chair or something like that but I did drink plenty of water and I took those pills and did not execise and lost weight quickly it really did work and I am looking for a consultant peace out
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