Over-the-counter diet pills are promoted with frequency on TV, luring viewers to purchase these products as a way to easy weight loss. A number of these products make unverified claims, however. There is only one OTC diet pill, orlistat, that is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for weight loss. Because of the differing levels of offered clinical proof, it is tough to compare OTC diet pills to prescription weight loss medications such as phentermine.
Phentermine
Phentermine is a stimulant similar to amphetamine. It reduces the appetite by directly affecting the central nervous system. Phentermine is a drug of abuse and can be addictive. It is crucial that phentermine be taken as directed; it ought to never be stopped all of a sudden.
How Does Phentermine Work?
Phentermine comes from a class of drugs called “anorectics,” likewise called appetite suppressants.
Taking phentermine helps reduce your appetite, thus restricting the number of calories you consume. With time, this can result in weight-loss. While the exact mechanisms behind the appetite-reducing impacts of phentermine remain uncertain, the drug is thought to act by increasing neurotransmitter levels in your brain.
Neurotransmitters are your body’s chemical messengers and consist of norepinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine. When your levels of these 3 chemicals increase, your feeling of cravings declines.
However, you may develop a tolerance to the appetite-suppressing effects of phentermine within a couple of weeks. In that case, you ought to not increase your dose of the drug but stop using it entirely.
Phentermine is believed to decrease your appetite by increasing neurotransmitter levels in your brain.
Diet Pills
There are two sort of diet pills: those sold over the counter as weight loss supplements and those offered only by prescription. Orlistat is a weight loss pill that can be bought at greater doses with a prescription, though it is likewise sold over the counter in lower dosages. Other items sold without a prescription are thought about weight loss supplements and are not regulated by the FDA. Phentermine is an FDA-approved prescription weight loss medication and need to only be taken under a physician’s supervised care.
Does Orlistat Work as Phentermine?
Orlistat is marketed nonprescription under the brand Alli. At 60 mg, it is half the strength of its prescription counterparts. Typically called a “fat blocker,” this medication works by avoiding the body from absorbing all of the fat you consume. Dietary changes are needed to avoid unpleasant negative effects brought on by the excretion of excess fat through the bowel. Exercise is likewise recommend as part of a general weight loss strategy that includes orlistat.
Effectiveness
Proof to support making use of a lot of OTC diet pills is seriously lacking. For that reason, it is hard to make a comparison in between these uncontrolled supplements and tested medications such as orlistat and phentermine.
Phentermine and orlistat are handy tools in the effort to lose weight, but just if your body mass index is higher than 30, or higher than 27 if you have serious medical conditions associated with obesity. Lots of people gain back weight once they stop taking these medications; that’s why diet and exercise are prescribed by physicians together with weight loss medications.
In 4,000 patients, orlistat assisted them lose 10 percent of their body weight throughout a year. Orlistat is the only weight loss medication authorized for such long-term usage. Because the FDA approves phentermine only for short-term use, it is tough to compare its effectiveness with orlistat. Phentermine studies revealed an average weight loss of 6.6 lbs. in patients utilizing phentermine for 20 weeks or less.
Other Diet Pills That Are Effective as Phentermine
These medications have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for long-lasting usage: bupropion-naltrexone (Contrave), liraglutide (Saxenda), lorcaserin (Belviq), orlistat (Xenical) and phentermine-topiramate (Qsymia).
A lot of prescription weight-loss drugs work by decreasing cravings or increasing feelings of fullness, and some do both. The exception is orlistat, which works by interfering with absorption of fat.
Bupropion-naltrexone is a mix drug. Naltrexone is used to treat alcohol and opioid dependence. Bupropion is an antidepressant and quit-smoking aid. Like all antidepressants, bupropion carries a cautioning about suicide danger. Bupropion-naltrexone can raise high blood pressure, and monitoring is required at the start of treatment. Common negative effects consist of queasiness, headache and constipation.
Liraglutide is also used to manage diabetes. Unlike other weight-loss drugs, liraglutide is administered by injection. Nausea is a common grievance, and throwing up might restrict its use.
Lorcaserin initially raised issues since it works somewhat like fenfluramine– a drug that was withdrawn from the market since it damaged heart valves. However, there is no proof that lorcaserin damages heart valves. Lorcaserin is usually well-tolerated. Possible side results consist of headache, queasiness and back pain.
Safety and Quality
In 2007, the Federal Trade Commission fined the makers of a number of OTC diet supplements $25 million for making advertising claims not backed by scientific evidence. In 2009, the FDA issued a warning relating to 72 OTC diet pills because of undeclared ingredients that could cause high blood pressure, seizures or stroke. Some products have been pulled off of the market as an outcome.
Over the counter variations of orlistat are considered usually safe. Still, this drug is under investigation by the FDA because of reports of severe liver damage; these reports are unusual, nevertheless. Always consult a physician before utilizing OTC orlistat.
Taking phentermine with other diet medications can trigger a deadly lung disorder called pulmonary hypertension. If you have coronary artery disease, hypertension, overactive thyroid, glaucoma, a history of drug or alcoholic abuse or are allergic to other diet pills, amphetamines, stimulants or cold medications you ought to not take this medication.
Conclusion
It’s no surprise that weight loss pills similar to phentermine are so in demand. The effectiveness of such diet pills is already widely known. However, do not forget that every organism is unique. Therefore, before switching to a diet associated with the consumption of diet pills and powders, first consult your doctor.
