Expert: Dr. Ravindra Bhaskar Ghooi - 8/27/2009

Question
Can you be taking Wellbutrin and do the HCG DIET? Thanks

Answer
Hi Nancy,
I do not want to disappoint you, but diets of this type do not work. If they did, the world would have been full of slim and trim people.
Using HCG daily somehow frightens me. We are using a compound which is produced strictly during pregnancy, while it may cause some loss of weight, what about the side effects of HCG? Even if we forget potential interactions with other medications.
If HCG causes weight loss, how come women tend to put on so much weight during pregnancy? I am not convinced about the claims of the HCG and have seen no accurate data to be convnced.
There is a simple rule about weight loss. We put on weight when we eat more calories than we burn. We lose weight when we burn more calories and eat less. Fundamental sciences and chemistry are built on this simple principle. Matter cannot be created or destroyed, it can only be converted from one form to another. In the first case we convert food into fat, and in the second case we convert fat into energy, so we gain or lose weight. Adding HCG and some fancy food is not going to change the fundamentals of science.
If I told you that there is no interaction and asked you to go ahead with the diet and wellbutrin, I would be dishonest to my own science. Hence I regret I cannot advice you on this issue.
Ravi Ghooi