Expert: Todd Bublitz, RCEP - 10/30/2004

Question
are diet pills still dangerous even though ephedrine have been taken out of them. could you name some diet pills that are dangerous without ephedrine, and name the things contained in them?

Answer
Jan,

I did not say that diet pills are dangerous.  For some people they may be dangerous, but Ephedrine, also known as Ephedra or Ma Huang, was determined to pose an unreasonable risk.  http://www.fda.gov/oc/initiatives/ephedra/february2004/

Many diet pills may not contain anything that has shown to have any possible benefit in losing weight, and may not contain anything that poses a health risk.  Many diet pills used to contain some sort of stimulant - be it Ephedrine, Ephedra, Ma Huang, or Caffeine.  Many may still be available on-line.  Stimulants can be dangerous for people with cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, stroke, glaucoma and other conditions.

There are as many diet pills and ingredients as there are words in the dictionary.  My advice is: DON'T TAKE ANYTHING UNLESS YOUR DOCTOR GIVES IT TO YOU.

Some person at the health food store or on the internet will have no idea if what they are selling YOU will be safe and effective for YOU.  They have no idea who YOU are, and they don't really care.  They are in it for the money.

Best wishes.

Todd