Pills getting rid of unwanted stomach fat: How effective are they?
All of us want to get rid of stomach fat fast. Diet and exercise are the main tools for this challenge. However, in morbidly obese individuals, these two are not enough. Sometimes obesity is best managed by a health care specialist, and usually the doctor prescribes anti-obesity medications.
Before telling about these medications, we should bear in mind that these pills should not be given to persons without undergoing diet and exercise trials. Diet and exercise are the first line treatments for obesity. Diet pills are usually being prescribed to obese individuals having a body mass index of 27 to 30 or more (overweight or obese body mass index). The body mass index is reflective if the actual weight of a person and is based in height.
You cannot purchase the true diet pills without a prescription. The pills sold in health food stores which claim to have a weight loss effect are actually food supplements with no therapeutic claims. They may contain substances which may provoke hypersensitivity reactions so beware of these so-called weight loss pills. To be safe, always consult your doctor first before taking in any medications.
As an overview, prescription pills for the morbidly obese vary in their mechanisms of action, which depends on their component substances. In general, they are broadly classified into two—appetite suppressants and fat-blockers.
Appetite suppressants act on the area of the brain which is responsible for appetite, known as the hypothalamus. These pills work by blocking the reuptake of norepinephrine and serotonin.. Blocking these chemical transmitters in the brain results in a sense of fullness, which will enable you to feel full and not crave for food more often. You often eat less, thus you decrease caloric intake and you lose weight.
Side effects usually encountered with these drugs are palpitations, anxiety, insomnia and dryness of mouth. This is due to the increased levels of norepinephrine in the bloodstream because the medications block their reuptake in the brain. Norepinephrine, also known as noradrenaline, is the one responsible for your sudden strength in cases of fire, emergencies and accidents. As a consequence of an increased heart rate and of nervousness, high blood pressure often results. Thus these drugs are contraindicated in those with hypertension and heart disease.
Examples of these drugs are sibutramine (Meridia), diethylpropion (Tenuate) and phentermine (Adipex-P, Fastin, Anoxine-AM).
The second type of diet pills are the fat blockers. These pills work by inhibiting an enzyme called lipase. Lipase is an enzyme present in our intestines and which breaks down fat and increases fat absorption. With increased fat absorption in the body, fat is being deposited faster, especially in the belly, arms and thighs. Since this medication inhibits the absorption of fat in our intestines, it also prevents fat from being absorbed and being deposited in our body. A disadvantage of these pills is that it only acts on high fat meals but not has not effect on the fat already deposited in the body and on carbohydrate intake. If a person takes in too many carbohydrates, the body will use only a portion of these carbohydrates as a source of energy. Where do you think the excess carbohydrates will go? It will be stored in the body as fat, contributing to the flabs which we already possess! An example of these fat blockers is orlistat (Xenical).
Other pills which have a weight loss effect are either antidepressants or carbohydrate blockers. The use of antidepressants is still not proven and can even be harmful because of their side effects. Carbohydrate blockers also are not recommended because our body needs calories to perform its daily processes and even to burn fat.
In learning about these diet pills, keep in mind that nothing beats the old diet and exercise plan in keeping fat off. Every medication has its own share of side effects and it is recommended that we lose weight the natural way.