Nowadays, more and more prescription diet pills are being fabricated in labs across the country. But do they really work? Judging from the results of noted research, I would say no. Still, others would disagree entirely. You be the judge.

Prescription diet pills can be grouped into two separate categories. They are either appetite suppressants or they are fat blockers. Let’s begin with appetite suppressants. Commonly prescribed appetite suppressants are Meridia, Tenuate, and Phentermine.

What happens exactly is that the active ingredients in these pills act upon the region of the brain that regulates the appetite, called the hypothalamus. In the most basic of terms, appetite suppressants work by blocking the re-uptake of the neurotransmitters/ hormones, epinephrine and norepinephrine. Remember, adrenaline is another term fro epinephrine. These chemicals are directly responsible for the feelings of satiety after eating a large meal. This full feeling leads to decreased portion sizes and less calories consumed.

So, theoretically, weight loss should result. However, readers do need to be aware of the dangers of diet pills, especially Meridia. Between it’s inception to the American market in 1998 and September of 2001, Meridia contributed to over 400 serious adverse reactions and even 19 cases of cardiac death. Meanwhile, by the end of the year, those taking the standard 10 milligram dose of Meridia lost only 6.5 lbs. more than those that received a placebo. Meridia has proven itself to be too risky with minimal benefits at best. Next, please!...

The other group of prescription diet pills are fat blockers. These are vastly different than the “over-the-counter” chitosan versions that really don’t bind to fat and can be relegated to the realm of pseudoscience.  What these drugs do is inhibit an enzyme called lipase. Normally, when foods reach the small intestine, lipase is what breaks down the fat so that it can be metabolized. However, with a lipase inhibitor, a sizable percentage of ingested fat is actually excreted with the waste and is therefore spared from use.

Xenical is probably the most common example of a prescription fat blocker. One of the main problems with fat blockers is the fact that fat soluble vitamins such as vitamins D, E, and A are not readily absorbed due to the loss of fat, but, if you do decide to take Xenical then be sure to supplement with a good multivitamin.

Unfortunately, like Meridia, there is too little show for the efficiency of the drug. Those taking Xenical for a year lost only 5-6 lbs. more than the placebo group. Furthermore, the drug will set you back sometimes as much as $25 a week, so maybe you should spend that money to see a trainer or a nutritionist instead.

Even further still is the fact that Xenical will lead to the dreaded and embarrassing “anal leakage”, which is just as bad as it sounds. There have been countless stories of people having literally no control of their bowels at work and elsewhere, due to the undigested fat that is excreted. It can be hard to “keep things together” so to speak. So, remember that.  It still seems apparent that one can safely assume that diet pills are utterly worthless. Both appetite suppressants and fat blockers will roughly cost you over $125 to shed just one pound of fat and with the prospect of heart failure for Meridia users and “anal leakage” for Xenical users, I don’t see how this translates into a wise and healthy investment for anyone.