Losing Weight and Feeling Great

‘Diet Pills’ Category

It was about this time last year that the weight-loss drug Alli was introduced, with much fanfare.  Finally, a diet pill that was over-the-counter but approved by the FDA.  And it lets a person lose 50% more weight than they normally would on the same diet.
What wasn’t to love?

Can you say “side effects”?

Now you can go to the official Alli website (My Alli) and they do warn you, in politically correct terms, that this is not a diet pill to be taken lightly.  That is can, and often does, have some embarrassing side effects.  I liked the part about wearing dark clothes while getting used to Alli.

Anyhow, there’s been some time that’s passed, and Alli is now mainstream.  And it’s still not for the uninformed.  Or people who have no willpower.  Unless, of course, you don’t mind wearing Depends.

But seriously, can taking Alli weight loss pills help or is it just another gimmick?

If you can stick to the Alli diet plan, this weight loss pill can help you lose more weight.  It works by partially blocking the absorption of fat, thereby lowering your calorie intake. So if you’re motivated to go on a weight loss plan and stick with it, Alli can be a way to lose the weight you were going to lose anyway, but just faster.

Alli has partnered with eDiets.com
to create a home food delivery program that works with the Alli weight loss pills.  So that’s an option, if you want to really manage your food and limit any side effects.

The Alli diet pills aren’t for everyone; the side effects can be, um, explosive.  But they can be for some people, who are committed to losing weight.

There’s a new diet pill on the horizon and it’s called Lorcaserin, made by Arena Pharmecuticals.  Yesterday Arena announced that its new drug had passed a second round of safety tests, this time specifically looking for any problems with the heart’s valves.

Lorcaserin works by triggering the same part of the brain that the infamous drug fen-phen did — by targeting a receptor that makes you feel full, and theoretically less likely to snack afterwards.

The big problem was that the "fen" part of fen-phen (fenfluramine) was implicated in damaging the heart’s vavles.  Arena didn’t want to take that chance, so decided on conducting a safety study lasting 12 months.

Now you can read the whole article here, but before you start counting your pennies, this drug is still on the horizon and hasn’t gone to the FDA yet — Arena is hoping to do that next year.  So with any kind of luck, you won’t need this drug, as you’ll have lost the weight you need before then! 

A lot of the biotech companies are jumping on the obesity-drug bandwagon.  Not only does Arena have Lorcaserin, but Amylin Pharmaceuticals and Orexigen Therapeutics are also rushing to get new diet drugs to market.

But before you take any kind of prescription medication, really think about it.  They aren’t just something to take because they are advertised to be a magic bullet.  Not to mention they are expensive and your insurance may not cover the costs.

But for some people, these weight loss drugs are heaven-sent, and they provide that little extra that keeps them on a diet.

So, keep your eyes and ears peeled for more weight-control drugs in the near future.