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Diet Safety: Amphetamines and Anorectic Drugs

By Megan Roth

Yesterday I discussed ephedra, a drug commonly used in diet pills and known for its immense weight-loss capabilities. In that article, I briefly touched on the similarities between the side effects of ephedra and amphetamines.

Scary thought, huh? Well that thought jumps from scary to downright terrifying when you consider that, despite the fact that they’re illegal in both the UK and the US, there are numerous weight loss pills on the market which are laced with amphetamines.

Years ago (in the late 1940s through the 60s), such pills were actually prescribed by doctors to those trying to lose weight. In fact, in the late 60s approximately five million Americans (75% of which were women) were using amphetamines for weight loss purposes. However, once the very harsh and severe side effects were discovered, doctors quickly put a halt to such prescriptions.

In 1971, the drug became tightly controlled and a demand rose for an amphetamine replacement. In an attempt to create a comparable alternative, diet drugs were modeled after amphetamines.

Even today, many (not doctors, of course) recommend the use of amphetamine derivatives for weight loss. Body builders often take such pills and supplements in order to burn fat while maintaining lean muscle.

And though research suggests such drugs are safe when used for short periods of time, they cause severe physical damage when used extensively and have many serious – even fatal – side effects.

But what, exactly, are the side effects of anorectic drugs (which are those resembling amphetamines)? Are you ready for this? Cause there’s a whole fortune of them. The appetite suppressants are commonly associated with heart attacks, stroke, seizures, palpitations, insomnia…the list goes on and on.

And even though research has shown the drugs correlate with increased weight loss among consumers, it hasn’t been proven that this is the result of appetite suppression alone. Rather, the dropped poundage is assumed to be caused by a combination of factors, including central nervous system stimulation and increased blood pressure.

And as we all know, neither of the aforementioned factors is a good thing. So be leery. We’re not saying never use a weight loss aid (heck, we know they exist for a reason!), but we do think it’s important to be aware of what your taking and its potential for negative effects.

And remember – if you or anyone you know has been injured by diet pills, contact the Lombardi Law Firm.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Megan Roth

Full post as published by Des Moines Personal Injury Lawyer on January 06, 2009 (boomark / email).