Are Diet Pills Safe to Take Long-Term?

Perhaps you have decided that you need to diet and you have tried every type of diet there is--but calorie counting is not for you. Now you are considering diet pills. The first question you ask may be: Are diet pills safe to take long-term?

Well, the answer could be “yes” or “no,” depending on which type of diet pill and its relative safety. Here we will discuss some of those components that are found in these pills and what your options are for taking them long-term.

What is in diet pills that makes them dangerous?

Most diet pills are made of heavy stimulants. This is normally true of prescription brands like Phentermine, in particular. Let’s investigate what these stimulants are and what they do. When people are on Phentermine or other prescriptions, they are on it for fast and massive weight loss--usually 30 or more pounds. The stimulants have to pack quite a punch to achieve such results for people who have a hard time calorie-counting.

So, what are these ingredients? They are metabolism boosters as well as mood boosters; then there are fat burners and energy boosters. These are mainly fueled by caffeine, and they may be herbally based or amphetamine-based. They cause a rapid heart rate and possibly the jitters; they can also make you dizzy and nauseated. Worse side effects exist, but these are the basic ones. Bottom line, most diet pills have such effects, but prescriptions are the worst.

However, alternatives like Phentramin-D are just as effective without being as dangerous, so you can stay on them a lot longer and use them again in the future as needed. Most people don’t maintain all of their weight loss permanently on the first shot.

So are diet pills safe to take long term? Yes, if you are doing it in a deliberate and responsible fashion. You may have to start on a prescription for a while and then switch to a more natural pill that will take you the rest of the way to your goal. The key is in doing product research. Sometimes brands with a more proprietary blend will be hard to figure out because they don’t have to list the amounts of each ingredient; but if you use a diet pill from a highly reputable company, you will fare better. Thus, answering the question “Are diet pills safe?” ultimately requires personal research and consideration.