Why Use Appetite Suppressants
Are They Good For Weight Loss?
The majority of weight loss drugs in use today - both prescription and non-prescription - are appetite suppressants. They basically do what they say on the tin! They work by curbing your appetite so that - theoretically - your craving for food is reduced and you do much lot less snacking or over-eating.<br><br>Most appetite suppressants theoretically work by stimulating the hypothalamus gland in the brain. The hypothalamus is responsible for controlling appetite and can be fooled into producing certain chemicals (typically the hormone leptin, or serotonin or catecholamine) which will inform your brain you are full, so that your hunger disappears (usually for around 3 hours).<br><br>Naturally, if you eat less then you should take in less calories and therefore lose weight - or so the theory goes. It is said that appetite suppressants can limit the amount you want to eat by as much as 40%, and they will also work to re-train eating habits, meaning they usually only need to be used for a number of months before you adapt to smaller portion sizes, making it simpler to keep control of your appetite. Currently, most weight loss drugs approved by the American FDA are appetite suppressants and most are approved for purely short-term use of a few weeks or months.<br><br>Sounds great - this means that these types of drugs are the best thing for a weight loss regime right? WRONG! Appetite suppressants, like all weight loss drugs, are also associated with a whole range of potential health risks and side effects, which is why they should only ever be prescribed by a doctor or other medical professional.<br><br>Firstly, they can cause drowsiness or light-headedness and so it is important to know how you respond to these medications before you try to drive or operate machinery. Additionally, you may leave yourself at risk of developing:<br><br> * Addiction - these drugs are "controlled substances" and as such are potentially addictive.<br> * Developed tolerance - a person's weight tends to level off after 6 months of taking weight-loss medication, which suggests that the body develops a tolerance for the medication, thereby reducing its effectiveness.<br> * Side effects - in addition to potential drowsiness, the side effects of these drugs can include increased heart rate and blood pressure, sweating, headaches, constipation, insomnia, dry mouth, excessive thirst and anxiety.<br><br>And there are a number of other potential problems - in the mid-90s, doctors regularly prescribed the popular appetite suppressant Redux or the combination of phentermine and fenfluramine, called "phen-fen." However, fenfluramine (Pondimin) and Redux were withdrawn from the market in 1997 because they were both found to cause damage to heart valves.<br><br>Obviously taking appetite suppressants involves some risks and the worrying thing is that an increasing amount of these drugs are now being bought over-the-counter in the form of popular products such as Hoodia. This is a worrying and dangerous thing to do - especially for overweight people who alreadyare more at risk of developing medical problems.<br><br>When you add the excessive costs of some of these products, it's obvious that taking appetite suppressants really isn't the best long-term way to resolve your weight issues if you really want to start living a healthy life.
About the Author
Mike Barrows has written a hard-hitting book revealing the secrets of the diet industry, looking at the growth of obesity around the world and highlighting ways in which you can solve your weight problems, including the use of appetite suppressants issues. Pick up a copy of "Big Fat Lies" FREE and learn some amazing facts including the secret of proper, permanent weight loss
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