I know there's a place for this on the general part of the site, but I almost never go there, and I bet a lot of you don't either...

Saw this today and found it interesting that the FDA has actually approved an over the counter diet pill...

"FDA Approves Over-The-Counter Weight Loss Pill

February 8, 2007 12:05 p.m. EST


William Macklin - All Headline News Staff Reporter
Washington, D.C. (AHN) - In a first likely to shake up a diet industry bloated with bogus or unproven products; the Food and Drug Administration has approved over-the-counter sales of a weight loss drug.

The drug, orlistat, will be the first medication of its kind available without a prescription. Orlistat is currently available by prescription under the brand name, Xenical, but the FDA's ruling Wednesday will make the drug available to millions of new consumers seeking ways to shed pounds, some experts predict. The over-the-counter version of the drug will be sold under the name "Alli."

The FDA has faced complaints that the $1 billion diet industry is glutted with unproven and sometimes unsafe products. Officials at the FDA say lifting the prescription requirement on orlistat is an important step towards addressing those concerns.

Dr. Curtis J. Rosebraugh, an official with the agency, told the New York Times that it is "significant that there will now be available an over-the-counter product that we do have data on, that we know is efficacious and what the safety profile is."

Potential benefits aside, the drug can produce side effects, including diarrhea and oily stools.

And the FDA is quick to point out that Alli isn't a magic bullet. Users must still eat less and exercise more if they hope to lose weight on the drug."

Here's a link to the full article:

http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7006401891

Just found it intersting....

Well you can eat a bag of olestra chips and get the same effect!

No Thanks!

The chips with Olestra made me sick as a dog, felt like I had the stomach bug that everybody else is passing around. I dont think I'll give the new pill a try, ugh!

Yeah, basically all the pill is, is a pill that gives you diarrhea whenever you eat a fattening food. Zenical has been around for a while...

The only thing I think it would do, is make you think twice about having that dessert at Applebee's out of fear of not making it home in time to get to the bathroom.

I tried zenical. I did lose some weight on it, but the bathroom side effects were too overwhelming for me.

Sounds like it would do to me, the same thing a night out a Chinese restaurant would do, especially after eating Kung Pao Chicken..

WOW chips never affected me.. In fact, the only thing that kept me from eating them was the fact that they cost so much more than the regular kind.

They tore my tummy all to pieces, of course I ate half a bag instead of a serving, maybe thats what caused it LOL

I think that the icky side effects are what led the FDA to approve this as OTC. It certainly is a deterrent to abusing the drug.

Dan--lol. you're too funny! reminds me of something my former husband would say! ha!

So if you stop taking it would you just gain all of that weight back, that would be my only fear.

Well, the pill doesn't teach you anything. If you eat something fatty, you are in the bathroom all day...what does that teach you? Nothing about proper nutrition, exercise, health...

That is true, but what if you just need a lil extra boost in losing the weight, will it help then. I don't eat a lot of fatty stuff, but sometimes I have too many fruits or dairys, something like that. I think if I could just up my metabolism some that would be great.

Donisha-if you're just looking to boost your metabolism-you shoul do weight training-more muscle, more calories burned .. . .

Yea, I have been doing weight training for about a month now, here at work. We have a toning class, and just started the step class about 2 weeks ago. If you ever want to know how out of shape you are, start one of these classes, and see how if whips on ya...lol.