Popping pills is not the solution for losing weight say Australian health specialists. Miran Hosny reports.

Diet pills are a hazard to users. Image: Michael Chen

Australian health specialists warn consumers that non-prescription weight loss pills are ‘dangerous’ and do not result in long-term weight loss.

Accredited practising dietitian, Milena Katz from Dietitians Association Australia, says pills were not the only solution for losing weight.

“As dietitians, we do not recommend any kind of weight-loss pill,” Katz says.

“They can be dangerous…if food, such as grapefruit, can alter the effects of medicine [in the body], then the weight loss drugs will too.”

“People will buy anything that promises something.”

Dr Mohammed Assem, a specialist in Rehabilitation Medicine, is skeptical about the long-term benefits of weight loss pills.

“I see a lot of people try them but not many people continue for a long time because they do not feel that they get any sustained benefits from them,” he says.

“For some, the side effects outweigh the benefits.”

This was certainly the case for 20-year-old Yusra Metwally.

She tried an herbal weight loss remedy that her friends recommended.

“It’s that ‘feeling helpless’ situation when you know that you have got so much weight to lose and you think that the pills are the easy way out,” she says.

Metwally did not lose a significant amount of weight using the pills.

It was the side effects however that deterred her from continuing to take them.

“They increased my heart rate. I always needed to use the bathroom yet they made me feel really dehydrated and I had to drink heaps of water.”

Metwally says that as soon as she stopped taking the pills, the weight she had lost piled back on.

Dr Ronald McCoy, spokesperson for The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP), says that prescription weight loss pills do have a role for people who are very overweight or obese.

However, he warns that they should only be considered if the patient has already tried a proper diet and exercise program.

“[Even then] they need to be under strict supervision by a doctor or dietitian, and it shouldn’t be a light decision,” he says.

But like Dr Assem, Dr McCoy maintains that the prescription pills have only proven to aid in short-term weight loss.

“Most people who take them put the weight back on. Your body tends to adapt to them.”

Doctors warn weight-loss pills are only a short-term fix. Image: nicasaurusrex

Not all prescription weight loss pills have the same effect.
Dr McCoy explains that there are two types - appetite suppressants like Duromine, and fat absorbing drugs such as Xenical.

“The pills that affect your appetite can have quite a lot of side effects, like disturbed sleep and dry mouth. The fat blocking drugs are much better tolerated [by the body].”

Non-prescription weight-loss medications should be avoided altogether, according to Dr McCoy.

“I have an issue with the bogus cure all remedies that are totally unproven. If it’s just available from your supermarket or herbal stores, be really wary of the products.”

Shazana Zulkiffli is 24 years old and took the prescription weight loss drug Duromine, despite never being classified as obese.

“For the first few days my body was shaking and I couldn’t sleep. My body was dehydrated, I peed a lot and I had bad breath too. I think I have an overactive bladder now because of the pills,” Zulkiffli says.

“One of the reasons I stopped is because I’m more health conscious now. When I first took the pills, I wasn’t aware of what could happen later. I discovered that those pills could damage my kidneys and liver, and that scared me to death!”

Katz, Dr Assem and Dr McCoy all stress the importance of people seeking the correct information before taking prescription or non-prescription diet pills.

Pharmacist Radwan Elmetsalem, says pharmacists need to make sure that consumers receive the right advice.

“We explain the pros and cons of all medicines and if they are prescription-only drugs, we refer them to their doctors,” he says.

Dr McCoy says doctors also have an integral role to play, particularly in regards to prescription-only drugs.

“You really have to counsel people with unrealistic expectations that they are not a quick fix,” he says.

Dr Assem says that unreasonable expectations are the real reason why many people giving up on the drugs.

“One kilogram of fat is equal to 7,700 calories, so you can imagine how much exercise you would have to do to lose it. The healthy range is half to one kilogram of fat a week if you’re trying to lose weight,” he says.

Katz says permanent, long-term weight loss requires people to change their eating habits.

“They have to reduce calorie intake and consult a GP or a dietitian.”

For Dr McCoy, the age old advice still applies.

“Eating five servings of vegetables a day is very important,” he isays

“People should choose carbohydrates with a low glycemic index and the right types of fat.”

Getting seven to eight hours sleep per night is also an aspect to eating properly says Dr McCoy.

“People who sleep less tend to eat more.”