While diet and exercise are still the preferred method of weight loss, for some people the two may simply be not enough. If you’re in a situation like this, you may be tempted to turn to prescription diet pills for help losing weight. It’s true that modern medicine has come up with some genuinely remarkable ways to help spur the weight-loss process, but all of these medications come with risks—sometimes very serious ones.
Before you make the choice to use weight loss medication, it’s important that you familiarize yourself with these risks and talk with your doctor to make an informed medical decision. Here is a look at five of the most commonly used prescription diet pills in the United States with a short explanation about the dangers of each.
Orlistat
Orlistat is a type prescription diet pill that keeps your body from absorbing about 30% of the fat in your diet. While this medication doesn’t come with many serious risks, it can produce some potentially embarrassing side effects. When you take orlistat you may experience oily stools, bowel leakage, or have additional difficulties controlling your bowel movements. Similarly, you may also experience excess gas and abdominal cramping. Normally these symptoms are not long lasting, but they may persist if your diet is particularly high in fat. It should also be noted that some people taking orlistat have experienced severe liver damage, but the exact relationship between the two is still relatively unknown at this time.
Contrave
Contrave is one of the newest prescription diet pills on the market and has only been approved by the FDA since September 2014. This drug helps reduce your general appetite as well as cravings for specific “comfort” foods. The most common risk associated with Contrave is nausea—which about 35% of all patients experience. Other symptoms, such as dizziness, dry mouth, diarrhea, and insomnia, are also relatively common with this weight loss drug. Additionally, one of the active ingredients in Contrave, bupropion, has been associated with an increased risk of suicide and psychiatric disorders.
Phentermine
Phentermine is classified as an appetite suppressant, but experts still aren’t exactly sure how it helps patients lose weight. Some of the most serious risks associated with this medication are heart problems, such as shortness of breath, chest pain, and heart palpitations. For this reason, it’s not recommended that you take phentermine if you have a history of heart conditions that include high blood pressure, stroke, congestive heart failure, or heart disease. Thankfully, these risks are relatively rare. More commonly, people taking phentermine are likely to experience dry mouth, insomnia, diarrhea, and vomiting.
Belviq
Belviq, like phentermine and Contrave, helps suppress your appetite by altering related chemicals in your brain. Some of the most common risks associated with Belviq are relatively mild and include dry mouth, nausea, dizziness, constipation, and headaches. However, there are more serious symptoms associated with this medication as well. For those living with diabetes, Belviq puts you at a higher risk for hypoglycemia—which can include symptoms such as numbness in the limbs, blurry vision, and a racing heartbeat. More generally, Belviq can cause mood changes, an increase in suicidal thoughts, aggression, memory problems, irregular heartbeat, and fever.
Qysmia
Qysmia helps patients lose weight by increasing metabolism, reducing appetite, and by making foods taste lest appealing. Some of the most common risks associated with this prescription weight loss pill include tingling in the limbs (also known as neuropathy), insomnia, dry mouth, and a radical change in the way that food tastes. Some of Qysmia’s rare but serious risks include an increase in suicidal thoughts, increased heart rate, and potential blindness. Additionally, pregnant women who take this drug may experience birth defects in their children, including a cleft lip or palate.
