Do non prescription diet pills have dangerous side effects?

[Firefly77]

I know that just about anything you ingest could cause a side effect, even if it is supposed to be healthy for you. I have never tried any weight loss pill (prescription or non-prescription), but I am thinking about possibly trying a non-prescription product. Has anyone who has taken non-prescription diet pills experienced any serious side effects?

[KraftMan]

Some of them can. You need to be very careful about the types of ingredients that you choose because a lot of them are hazardous to your health. Things like ma huang (that has a lot of alternate spellings in chinese medicine, so be careful with that) and bitter orange are practically ephedra and can mess you up. Most nonprescription diet pills that have side effects are only mild and not dangerous, but there are a few out there that are freaky.

[suzieQ]

Avoid anything with ephedra in it!! It's not safe and it's illegal in the U.S.!

[TracyK]

As you said, anything you ingest could have side effects. I agree with KraftMan and SuzieQ, you will want to avoid anything with Ephedra, because this powerful herb has been linked to some scary respiratory side effects, which is why it's been banned in the U.S. and other places. If you are thinking about taking non-prescriptions I would recommend that you investigate each ingredient in the product that interests you and make sure you are not allergic to any of it and that it won't negatively effect or interact with other medication you may currently be taking. Bottom line - I'd recommend thoroughly researching the product and consulting with your healthcare provider.

[Firefly77]

Thank you all for your input. I didn't know about ephedra until you mentioned it here. I did a little research into it and was surprised at what I found. That's some powerful stuff. Looks like I'll have to read up on ingredients and do my homework on the products before I take anything.

[KittyKatt]

Avoid anything with ephedra in it!! It's not safe and it's illegal in the U.S.!

It's true! Don't trust sites that say it is legal or that it is legal in small doses because they are LYING. It has been banned for manufacture, sale, and purchase in the U.S by the FDA. Surprisingly, it's really easy to get it, still, so be very careful!

[KenTraver]

Some of the OTC pills have similar side effects to the prescription ones, only weaker. A stimulant is a stimulant, and a fat blocker is a fat blocker. The difference is the strength of the reaction you'll have to it and that's why it has been designated as prescription or not.

[ChefMel]

Yes! Don't even believe that herbal pills are side effect free. A lot of herbs have multiple benefits but not all of them are wanted by a single person. For example, garlic can boost your immune system, but it also makes it harder for the blood to clot so it's not good for someone on blood thinners. That's something that a lot of us eat every day! Grapefruit can make bloodpressure medication go haywire. Parsley can make you bleed more even though it's great for your health. Ginger settles the stomach but it can cause you to get a period slightly earlier than usual if you have a lot of it. So even very innocent, normal sounding herbs and foods can have side effects. Nothing is completely free of risk, no matter what they tell you.

[MadMike]

Yes! Don't even believe that herbal pills are side effect free. A lot of herbs have multiple benefits but not all of them are wanted by a single person. For example, garlic can boost your immune system, but it also makes it harder for the blood to clot so it's not good for someone on blood thinners. That's something that a lot of us eat every day! Grapefruit can make bloodpressure medication go haywire. Parsley can make you bleed more even though it's great for your health. Ginger settles the stomach but it can cause you to get a period slightly earlier than usual if you have a lot of it. So even very innocent, normal sounding herbs and foods can have side effects. Nothing is completely free of risk, no matter what they tell you.

I didn't know that about grapefruit juice. My father is on blood pressure meds and has grapefruit juice all the time. I should tell him to ask his pharmacist!!!

[brightstar]

Pretty much everything we consume has some kind of unique impact. It makes us hyper, it makes us fat, it makes us calm, it makes our skin clearer, etc etc

[JokerzWild]

Pretty much everything we consume has some kind of unique impact. It makes us hyper, it makes us fat, it makes us calm, it makes our skin clearer, etc etc

I think you hit the nail on the head with that one brightstar. Everything effects us in some way, even if the effect is nothing at all.

[MadMike]

I think you hit the nail on the head with that one brightstar. Everything effects us in some way, even if the effect is nothing at all.

Guy, I've gotta say that I agree with you, but mostly you have one creepy-a$$ photo there. It couldn't go without mentioning haha

[TammyBear]

I think you hit the nail on the head with that one brightstar. Everything effects us in some way, even if the effect is nothing at all.

That's the truth, except that I don't think that there are effects that are nothing at all. SOme of the effects just aren't things that we can see. After all, you can't actually see your body absorbing nutrients. You can't see antioxidants dealing with free radical damage. Absolutely everything has some sort of an impact in some way.