Weight Loss Slimming Pills

Weight loss pills may hold a world of promise, particularly for people who have tried in vain to find a diet which works for them. Yet slimming pills should be used to support a diet, rather than being relied on for weight loss.

Weight loss pills can be prescribed by your doctor to help combat obesity. Generally, drug’s prescribed by your doctor are more likely to be effective than non-prescription tablets.

If you decide to purchase any slimming pills or herbal supplements, you should let your doctor know.

Are weight loss pills safe?

For prescribed drugs, research is carried out prior to a medication being approved for use, however, this does not necessarily provide a guarantee that it is safe.

Weight loss pills can be suspended

A number of effective weight loss pills have been suspended from being marketing by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

Slimming pill Sibutramine, marketed as Reductil, was suspended in February 2010 on account of it being linked with an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Rimonabant, marketed as Acomplia, was suspended from the marketed as a result of an increased likelihood of psychiatric disorders.

Orlistat - also known as Alli

Orlistat inhibits the digestive enzymes that break down fat which prevent it being absorbed by the body. Approximately a third of the fat you eat will be blocked by orlistat.

One orlistat capsule is taken with each meal that contains fat. Orlistat is sold under the trade names Alli and Xenical.

Orlistat has been found to be effective when used in conjunction with an appropriate diet, with those who took the pill having more success than those who didn’t. Taking orlistat can therefore help your diet to be more effective.

Side effects of orlistat include oily and smelly stools, flatulence and frequent needing to go to the toilet. The side effects are related to the fact that undigested fat is being passed out of your body diet, therefore if you lower the fat content of your diet, you will help to relieve the side effects.

The side effects are most prevalent when you first take the pills and tend to reduce over time.

Hoodia gordonii

Hoodia gordonii is a South African plant that has been used by bushmen as an appetite suppressant. The Hoodia plant is a protected plant species and harvesting rights have only been granted to a few companies. It’s thought that a number of supplements that claim to contain Hoodia may not.

Of the drugs which do, currently no clinical research is available to back up the claim that it can be used as an appetite suppressant.

Capsiplex

Capsiplex is a product based on chilli and capsicum.

The drug claims to be able to speed up your metabolism. The drug saw a great deal of press hype following its introduction in June.

Chili is known to help improve your metabolic rate and as a result Capsiplex, being based on chilli, has similar effects.

As with all so-called fat burning pills, it helps to increase the weight loss results of an effective diet.

Fat binding pills

Fat binding pills such as Proactol and Lipobind are based on dried cactus extract.

They claim to help to eliminate fat from meals by binding the fat with dietry fibre in the meal. The binded fat-fibre mass is not absorbed by the small intestine and passes out of the body. The makers claim that unlike with orlistat there are no side effects.