Diet pills are either over-the-counter or prescription drugs which help individuals reduce some pounds of weight. This can be done through the suppression of appetite while enhancing vigor to do work.
These medications are highly applicable for people suffering from obesity in order to trim down huge chunks of body weight. In general, there are five types of diet pills in the market: herbal supplements, laxatives, lipase inhibitors, stimulants, and anorexiants.
Each type has its specific function and characteristics as an appetite suppressor. Herbal appetite supplements come in various forms in the market such as pills, tablets, tea, or powder form. These dietary supplements aim to enhance one’s digestion of food.
Laxatives and stimulants are the ones commonly abused by consumers. Laxatives are mainly used to ease bowel movement but several people use it to flush out wastes inside the stomach.
Meanwhile, stimulants whether over-the-counter or prescription types are typically misused as appetite suppressants. These drugs are commonly used by people going to the gym to increase one’s energy to work out while taking less food.
The two types left are anorexiants and lipase inhibitors. The former functions similarly like stimulants where it suppresses food intake while increasing energy to do work. The latter are enzymes which prohibit the absorption of fat in the body.
These medications have several brand and street names depending on which area it is present or sold. Some of the FDA-Approved weight-loss medicines include Alli, Xenical, Belviq, Qsymia, Contrave, and Saxenda.
Other herbal supplements for weight loss available in the market include Bee pollen, Green tea, Forskolin, Raspberry Ketones, Conjugated linoleic acid and more. The ingredients of these supplements are naturally derived and have undergone very little processing.
In contrast, these weight loss pills also have its popular street names to hide its true identity from others. Some of its street names are fen-dex, phen-fen, fen-phen, and laxatives.
Looking for these medicines in stores and pharmacies is very easy because it has some distinct physical appearances. For instance, the majority of over-the-counter and prescription diet pills are available in tablet or capsule shape in various stores. The common pill imprints of these drugs include the brand name and milligram contents. Likewise, other brands come in distinct color combinations.
Diet Pills, How They Work
People having a Body Mass Index (BMI) ranging from 25 to 30 are suffering from obesity. Diet pills are used to help these people reduce one’s appetite while boosting energy to do physical work.
In general, these medications work in four ways: decreases appetite intake hastens to burn of fat, reduces the absorption of fat, and boosts energy for physical activity. However, each type or brand has a specific function in reducing weight.
For instance, Alli (Orlistat) works by inhibiting the digestion of fat eaten by an individual. Glucomannan is a natural diet supplement which reduces food intake by making the person feeling full through the absorption of water inside the stomach.
Another natural weight reducer, Green tea, works by stimulating the ability of the body in burning fat tissues. Then there is the conjugated linoleic acid which is a fatty acid derived from dairy and beef. A few pieces of research have been conducted on this substance and it shows a significant reduction in appetite while boosting metabolism.
Addiction and Dangers
These medications have a medium level of addictive potential. It is classified by the Drug Enforcement Agency as Schedule III and IV controlled substances. This means it has a low to moderate addictive potential.
However, the intensity of its health consequences is strongly linked to the amount and frequency of dosage. Likewise, the use of illicit stimulants for weight loss is extremely dangerous because of its high addictive potential.
Prescription types of this drug can effectively reduce weight by around three to ten percent. Consequently, this result is already a great help for people suffering from overweight.
To avoid any dependence and tolerance, these drugs are commonly prescribed for up to 12 weeks intake only. Beyond that, there must be a prescription or advice coming from medical personnel or doctor.
The intake of these medications delivers short and long-term effects on the person. Some of the typical short-term effects of these drugs include difficulty to induce a bowel movement, lightheadedness, dry mouth, and frequent headaches.
Whereas, its long-term effects include difficulty sleeping, nervousness, elevated blood pressure, tremors, and inability to distinguish taste.
Furthermore, if one wishes to undergo a drug test, the idea of how long it stays in the body is most important. In the blood and urine, it stays around 24 hours and 1 to 4 days respectively. While in the hair follicles, it can still be detected one month after the last ingestion.
Medications and Treatments
The decision of undergoing treatment is challenging for most patients due to several conditions such as financial capacity, social stigma, availability of rehab centers, and the willingness to undergo treatment.
Among these factors, the first thing a patient must do is to accept the need for external help in order to have a fast recovery from substance addiction. Likewise, knowing the early signs of an overdose is important to administer early treatments.
In line with this, the typical signs of an overdose include gut pains, elevated heart rate, difficulty to induce a bowel movement, and mood imbalances.
Once the early signs of an overdose are detected, apply first aid treatment to prevent further complication of the condition. First, secure the patient cannot inflict self-harm. Second, if necessary, do stomach lavage to flush out chemicals inside the gut. An alternative to this would be allowing the patient to orally ingest activated charcoal in order to absorb those toxins inside the body.
Going back to the treatment program, it always starts in the detoxification process. Alongside, the gradual or abrupt cessation from these medications will result to a few withdrawal symptoms such as weariness of the body, highly irritable, an extreme shift of mood, abnormal weight increment, and inability to focus.
Furthermore, aside from the medications prescribed for treatment, therapies are always incorporated in any treatment program. These therapies hasten the recovery process by re-establishing the social skills and positive behavior of the patient.
The three common therapies included for treating this addiction are Reward System, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Recovery Groups.
In the Reward System, the therapist will orient the patient of the specific rewards to be given for every positive behavior and abstinence of the drug.
In Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, its main principle states that unhealthy behaviors are rooted in unpleasant thoughts. The therapist will help the patient identify unpleasant thoughts which trigger the craving for the drug. Likewise, there will be a formulation of positive alternative responses whenever risk factors are faced by the patient.
Lastly, Recovery Group, this intervention makes use of anonymous group where all the members share the same condition. The main goal of this therapy is to enhance the social communication skills and responsibility of all the members. This needs to be done before allowing these patients to go back in the society.
