Diet pills are designed to help you lose weight quickly. They may seem like a convenient solution to your fat loss goals, but before you go out and try these pills there are a few things you should know about them and a few questions you should first ask. First, you will want to know if the diet pills are safe. Second, you want to know if they can effectively induce or enhance quick weight loss. And third, you want to find out if they are worth the price or if there is a better alternative.
Safety
Diet pills can be purchased without a prescription or can require a prescription from a doctor. The difference lies in the active ingredients and the strength of these ingredients. Prescription diet pills have been proven to work and are strong enough to require a doctors supervision. Diet pills that can be purchased without a prescription are usually made up of herbs, amino acids, and other ingredients that are not classified as drugs. The one exception to this is a product called Alli, which is available over the counter and is a watered down version of a prescription medication. The prescription medications are intended for short term use and all have side effects. The non-prescription pills do not have enough research behind them to determine their side effects, with the exception of Alli, but you can infer potential side effects from what's known about their active ingredients.
Effectiveness
As mentioned earlier, prescription diet pills have been proven to be effective. Their effectiveness however is limited either through adaptation by the body or by negative side effects eventually outweighing the benefit from the pills. Non-prescription diet pills, as mentioned before, don't have enough research behind them to make an accurate determination of their clinical effectiveness. Once again take a look at their active ingredients to see if any research is available on the effectiveness of the individual components.
Cost
The cost of diet pills varies depending on the active drug or ingredient used, how much is used, brand, quality, etc... Non-prescription pill are going to be cheaper than prescription pills. But what you really need to look at is effectiveness versus cost. If a pill doesn't work, it doesn't matter how cheap it is, it's still a waste of money. On the other hand even if a pill does work, there is a point where the cost will be too much compared to the benefit you derive. As I stated in the above paragraph, even clinically proven diet pills can only help for a limited time. So the cost at some point, even for pills that work, will outweigh the benefit you derive from them. If you are losing fat, and the side effects are minimal, then you have to determine what monetary cost is worth it for you. The cost of diet pills, both prescription and non-prescription, ranges from 50 cents per pill to $2.50 per pill.
Conclusion
As long as you understand what role diet pills can play in your weight loss regimen, then it is possible to use them safely and effectively. Understand that diet pills are at best only aids in helping you lose fat. Behind these should be an effective diet and exercise routine, your staples. Be careful when taking any supplements without talking to your doctor, especially if you are currently taking a prescription medication. If there are possible interactions with one or more of the active ingredients with your prescription medication, that could prove very problematic. Even if you are not taking any prescription medications, you should familiarize yourself with the active ingredients and potential side effects from taking these.
