When do you stop?

[kellykatt]

In my last thread that I started about White Willow Bark, 1000kw made a good point about side effects and about the length of time it's safe to take this herb, which got me to thinking, how long is it safe for you to take OTC diet pills for weight loss?

I know that some products actually tell you to take the pills for a certain length of time and to take a break before starting again, but others don't tell you squat about how long you should take the pills, and sortof leave you with the impression that it's safe to take them until you decide you want to stop.

How safe is it to take non-prescription diet pills for the long term?

[speeddemon]

I honestly wouldn't take them any longer than a couple of months. If they haven't worked for you by then you should really get off them. If they have worked for you, you should have already developed a good diet and exercise plan to be good enough for you to get off the aid.

Remember, no OTC diet pill is meant to be a lifestyle.

[Penny]

Stop when you've got your diet under control and you're actually losing weight. Equally, as Speeddemon said, if you're experiencing much progress after a month or two I'd also recommend stopping and finding something else!

[kellykatt]

Stop when you've got your diet under control and you're actually losing weight. Equally, as Speeddemon said, if you're experiencing much progress after a month or two I'd also recommend stopping and finding something else!

Thanks. I think that's just what I'll do. I know these pills aren't supposed to be a crutch but I do want to give them a fair shot and as long as they're not hurting anything I don't see a problem with taking them just as I wouldn't have a problem with taking a multivitamin daily. I just wanted to know what you guys thought.

[CuJo1992]

It really depends on the product you're taking. Ultimately, don't use it as a crutch. Use whatever you're taking to help you establish a healthy calorie conscious diet and exercise plan that will help you lose and maintain weight loss. Once you've got that established get off the product you're taking.

If you don't tolerate a product well (ex. have bad side effects) stop it and try something else.

Essentially, just apply common sense and remember that no pill should be taken forever.

[kellykatt]

It really depends on the product you're taking. Ultimately, don't use it as a crutch. Use whatever you're taking to help you establish a healthy calorie conscious diet and exercise plan that will help you lose and maintain weight loss. Once you've got that established get off the product you're taking.

If you don't tolerate a product well (ex. have bad side effects) stop it and try something else.

Essentially, just apply common sense and remember that no pill should be taken forever.

Thanks Cujo1992. I will keep that in mind. That's really good advice!