Diet pills. How Safe are They?
...ssure, increased heart rate, headaches, light-headedness, dizziness, hyperactivity, blurred vision, and sometimes death. These warnings are not enough for people to avoid using diet pills. Many choose to ignore reading labels before taking in any of these pills. The thoughts of obtaining a perfect body overpower one’s reasoning. Those thoughts have been around me for as long as I can remember. I’ve never been overweight, maybe just had a few pounds over what’s considered “ideal” for my height and age. The first time I tried any sort of diet pills was when I was in middle school. I remember saving up money to go to CVS with my friends to buy one of those over-the-counter diet pills called Dexatrim. I had seen many advertisements for them on TV and I thought I’d give them a try. Of course, I read the warnings on the back, one of them being that those pills should not be taken by anyone under 18. I was scared because I thought I wouldn’t be allowed to buy them once I brought them up to the counter to pay for them. However, the box scanned as easily as a candy bar. I took those pills as indicated, never telling my parents about them. I finished taking the pills after a month and I wasn’t happy with the results; I didn’t see any! The only thing I got out of taking those pills was a headache for that entire month, but didn’t think much of it. Once I entered high school, my body began to change. I had grown a couple of inches, which made it seem like I had lost some weight. I thought this would be a perfect time to take some new diet pills. Towards the end of my freshman year in high school, I decided to begin a workout and diet program. I felt that it would be necessary for me to get some diet pills to help me achieve my goals. This time I went to GNC and spoke to someone about what my intentions where regarding my weight. I mentioned that I wanted to lose weight fast and that I would be exercising a lot. He handed me a bottle of Chromium Picolinate. These pills are intended to help you burn fat and give you extra energy. “It is an essential nutrient found in high concentrations in foods such as meats, whole grains, cheese, mushrooms, prunes, nuts, asparagus, beer and wine” (Fit, p. 60). To date, there is no published evidence to support claims, however, in less than 2 months I managed to lose almost 15 lbs. Of course, this was too much weight and in a short period of time. My parents and friends began to worry about my eating habits and how “obsessed” I was with these pills. I couldn’t believe how much energy I had from taking those pills and I could see results fast. However, after I stopped taking the pills, I didn’t lose any more weight; I don’t think I could have. I didn’t experience any serious side effects other than my loss of appetite and increased energy. By increased energy I mean that I could do 2 or 3 (30 minutes each) workout videos one after the other every day! My sophomore year I looked great. I was wearing clothes for “skinny girls” and I was happy with myself. However, halfway through the school year, I had gotten a part time job after school and I had no time to workout as much as I used to, so I gave up exercising altogether. I began eating more than what I had been eating for the past few months. I felt that I had starved myself. I ended up gaining back the weight and I felt miserable. I blamed it on my job and I had to find a faster way this time to lose the weight. I was flipping through the channels one night when I saw a commercial for Xenadrine. The big bold letters on the TV caught my attention. “Advanced Weight Loss Formula”, will make you “Lose Fat Fast”, and “Increase Energy”. I was a little hesitant about the before and after pictures (they didn’t look real) but I thought why not give the pills a try. It claimed that a woman had lost over 59 lbs in less than 9 weeks without exercising (I can still remember the ads) and I said to myself, if she can do it so can I. Although it didn’t take me 9 weeks to lose weight and I didn’t achieve my desired goal weight, I did experience some its side effects. The major component of Xendarine is ephedrine. For the recommended dose, it says that one should take two pills half an hour before breakfast and two pills half and hour before lunch. I followed the instructions and the minute I took the first two pills I felt I was going to die. My heart starting beating so fast, I couldn’t breathe right. I thought I did something wrong. I called GNC and mentioned what had happened to me. The guy told me that it was normal and that if I weighed less than 150lbs, I should have taken half the recommended dose each time. I was too scared to continue taking them, and I didn’t want to experience the chest pains again. I stopped using diet pills for the next two years, and managed to lose the weight again by dieting and exercising. At the end of my freshman year in college, I was so upset I had gained some weight again. I had gotten into a horrible car accident and herniated discs on my lower spine. I was unable to workout for a long time, so I gained maybe about 10 lbs and couldn’t find a better way to lose weight than to go back on Xenadrine, but this time taking half the recommended dose. I began taking Xenadrine again. I didn’t experience the chest pains, however, I became very lightheaded and dizzy some times, but it didn’t stop me from taking them. I had lost the 10 lbs plus more by the time I finished the bottle. However I wasn’t happy. Four months after I began my sophomore year in college, I bought another bottle. I hadn’t gained any weight since then but I felt I needed that extra energy. I skipped days so the bottle lasted me for a while. My body had gotten used to these pills that it got to a point that I felt they weren’t working for me anymore. It wasn’t until three months after I began taking the pills that I found out I was pregnant. As soon as I found out that I was pregnant, I stopped taking the pills immediately. So many thoughts ran through my mind. I was scared and nervous. One of the warnings on the bottle said, do not take during pregnancy. I had been taking the pills during my first month of pregnancy without even knowing I was pregnant. The following 9 months were nerve wracking for my family and I. My doctor sent me many times to get ultrasounds to make sure that the baby was healthy, and they all came back normal. My doctor told me not to worry because I had stopped taking the pills right before the baby began its rapid development. I swore to myself I would never take any diet pills again. However, the image I had of myself began to change again. Although I only gained 23 lbs during my pregnancy, I felt I had gained twice that weight. After I had my son, I became upset because my stomach wasn’t “shrinking” and that I couldn’t workout for a while. In addition, I was nursing and I knew that I had to eat properly so the baby could get the necessary nutrients. Although I didn’t show it, I became depressed and I hated to look at myself in front of the mirror. I only nursed for 4 mont...