A crazy way to get prescription diet pills

[brightstar]

My cousin is currently gaining weight so he will be able to go to his doctor and get prescription diet pills because he was told he wasn’t heavy enough. Is that illegal? I’m actually pretty scared for him. Should I do something or is it really not that dangerous?

[TracyK]

Wow...that is pretty crazy. I would be very worried about your cousin. If someone told me I wasn't heavy enough to take prescription diet pills I think that would be great news and I would then seek to find other ways to lose more weight. Did his doctor not have any other weight loss suggestions since prescription pills wasn't an option? I would talk to your cousin and find out why he's so desperate to take diet drugs and why he thinks that they will help him compared to another strategy. I think it's dangerous if someone wants to gain weight (putting their health at even greater risk) to just take prescription meds.

[Tony1968]

I don't think it's illegal, but I have to agree with TracyK that it sounds a little crazy. I think you should tell him the truth about how you feel. Obviously your cousin is desperate to lose weight and he thinks that prescription diet pills are the answer. If he's willing to go to unhealthy lengths for medication this is a definite cause for concern. I would try to discover why he thinks that prescription drugs - and not some other method - are the answer. Is he aware of the risks involved in taking these drugs? You might also want to show him some studies that reveal many diet drugs don't actually help people lose that much weight and they don't typically work for the long term. Plus, he's going to have to make behavioral changes and adhere to a strict diet and exercise regimen when he's on the prescription meds. Does he know this? And does he know that diet drugs are not a long-term solution? Sorry, I don't mean to sound so intense, it's just clear that your cousin isn't thinking straight and he might be thinking these drugs will help him more than they actually will.

[ChefMel]

that's a terrible idea. IT will also make the pills less effective because your cousin will have to overcome worse eating and exercising habits.

[Whirlybird]

crazy is the word for it. No way!

[Lady Greenfairy]

that's a terrible idea. IT will also make the pills less effective because your cousin will have to overcome worse eating and exercising habits.

That's exactly what I think ChefMel. Not only is it crazy to gain more weight to take prescription diet pills but it will make it that much harder for your cousin to adopt the necessary lifestyle changes required to use them.