I've been on several prescription diet pills over the years, and I can't recommend any of them (the prescription medications were all FDA approved at the time I took them).
Most of the otc (non-prescription) diet pills don't work, or have terrible side effects (some of the herbal products are stimulants and/or harsh laxatives - they can damage organs including the heart, are very uncomfortable to use, and rarely is the weight loss permanent (one good glass of water and the weight is back).
I was prescribed Tenuate Dospan (diethylpropion) as a teenager, which is an amphetemine like drug. It worked, but only for about four to six months (the average is apparently three months). I saw my doctor once a week for the first month, and then once a month after that - because there are some potentially hazardous side effects (again the heart damage being a big one). Once the drug stopped working, I gained the weight back VERY fast. Far faster than I took it off.
I was prescribed Meridia about nine years ago, and I lost about 15 lbs with it before it too stopped working as an appetite suppresant. I didn't want to give it up, because it had some pretty knifty (mostly manic) side effects. I felt invinceable and it drove my sex-drive so high - hubby asked me to stop taking it because it "made me scary - aggressive sexually (sorry for the tmi, there). From what I've heard Meridia is now off the market (or soon will be) because of potentially dangerous, even fatal complications. I guess I was very lucky to take my hubby's advice.
I haven't tried Alli or orlistat (same drug only in otc and prescription strength, respectively). I wish I could say I haven't tried Alli because I had wised up about prescription diet meds, but the truth is that my doctor and I didn't want to chance the potential side-effects because I already have a very unreliable digestive system. I have IBS, and too much fruit or veggies (like a serving or two, too many, or an unfamiliar fruit or veggie) can cause severe "must be within 10 feet of a bathroom at all times" diarrhea.
I can't afford to have a bigger diarrhea problem than I already do, although I do find that I have fewer IBS symptoms on a lower-carb, virtually grain-free, more paleo-diet. Yogurt (though not-paleo) also helps too (has to have live-cultures though to do any good). And while these diets changes help the IBS, I had to make all of them very, very gradually, because any sudden change in diet, tends to cause my digestive system to go awry.
If any of the digestive stuff sounds horrible, it is and you DO NOT WANT TO TRY ORLISTAT, because the side effects of the drug can be much worse (there are some horrible youtube videos that might be faked, but generally do give the impression of what the drug is like, according to people I've known who've tried it). So unless you want to wear depends, and don't mind smelling like sick diarrhea (apparently the gas is incredibly common, and unusually foul-smelling), you might want to reconsider trying it.
The best "medicine" I've gotten for appetite control has been carb-controlled eating (and high-fiber, low-sugar fruits and veggies). So eating more volume for the calorie, while keeping carbs low and low-GL, has done more for hunger-control than any of the meds I've tried.
Last edited by kaplods; 06-12-2012 at 02:35 AM.
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