February 22nd, 2010
The desire to lose weight quickly provokes many individuals to purchase weight loss pills, prescription drugs or over-the-counter medications. One of the top searches made online related to these drugs is: what is the best weight loss pill with ephedra? This ingredient has been used in the past as an herbal remedy in traditional Chinese medication for 5,000 years. But more recently, ephedra is found as an ingredient in over-the-counter weight loss drugs. But is ephedra or other weight loss drugs safe and effective?
Understanding the safety precautions is crucial when making the decision to start taking over-the-counter or prescription drugs. It is important to remember that dietary supplements and non-prescription drugs with ephedra are not subject to the same rigorous standards as their prescription drug counterpart.
Here is a helpful chart that displays common weight loss drugs and their effectiveness and safety:
| Product |
|
Claim |
|
Effectiveness |
|
Safety |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Xenical |
|
Decreases Absorption of dietary fat |
|
Effective |
|
FDA investigating reports of liver injury |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Bitter Orange |
|
Increases Calories burned |
|
Insufficient reliable evidence to rate |
|
Possibly unsafe |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Chitosan |
|
Blocks absorption of dietary fat |
|
Insufficient reliable evidence to rate |
|
Possibly safe |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Chromium |
|
Increases calories burned, decreases appetite and builds muscle |
|
Insufficient reliable evidence to rate |
|
Likely Safe |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Country Mallow (Heartleaf) |
|
Decreases appetite and increases calories burned |
|
Insufficient reliable evidence to rate |
|
Likely unsafe and banned by FDA |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Ephedra |
|
Decreases appetite |
|
Possibly Effective |
|
Likely unsafe and banned |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Hoodia |
|
Decreases appetite |
|
Insufficient reliable evidence to rate |
|
Insufficient information |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Remember that weight loss drugs are not miracle pills, even if you are taking these drugs you still need to eat fewer calories, watch portion sizes and be physically active. Always talk to your doctor before taking any weight loss pills, especially if you have health problems or are taking prescription drugs.
For more information about Xenical and other weight loss prescription drugs, visit www.orderonlinedrugs.com
Product Claim Effectiveness Safety
