‘Fat Busters’: Are these Next Generation Diet Pills Safe? Here’s What You Should Know

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"Weight-loss pills" have been known to the generation today, however, there is this new generation of fat busting diet pills that curbs patients' appetites and make them feel full is now striking the market once again. However, the big question is, are they safe?

The FDA had recently approved four drugs that would help combat obesity. The ingredients are mostly plant-based, like raspberry ketones, green tea, bitter orange, etc., all of which seem harmless.

Diet pills were known to have side effects and restrictions of use. But some doctors say that they generally appear safe. Some even cautiously prescribe them to help people lose weight.

What are these so-called diet pills and how effective are they? Some are namely the following: BELVIQ (with a generic name of lorcaserin); QSYMIA (a combination of two drugs with the generic names of phentermine and topiramate); CONTRAVE (a combination of two drugs: with the generic names of bupropion and naltrexone); and SAXENDA (with a generic name of liraglutide).

These diet pills have different ways in bringing weight loss. It is said that they all affect the brain but in different ways. Some decrease the feeling of hunger; some increases the feeling of fullness after eating and some decreases the pleasure experienced in eating.

An article from Elle stated some potential side effect found out by Dr. Ken Fujioka, MD, of San Diego's Scripps Clinic, that could occur from these diet pills. PHENTERMINE: especially when taken at higher doses, can cause insomnia, heart palpitations, and anxiety. TOPIRAMATE: drowsiness, tingling and numbness, and sluggish thinking (two nicknames for its brand-name version, Topamax : "stupemax" and "dopamax" ). SAXENDA: nausea that's practically universal until the body adapts or the dosage is lowered. CONTRAVE: nausea, headaches, dizziness and; BELVIQ: mild headaches, dry mouth, nausea, dizziness

Concerns with cardiovascular-related side effects still remain years after past weight-loss drugs made headlines. Despite all of the problems, natural-sounding weight-loss supplements continue to attract women.

However, the truth is, these diet pills don't really make you thin, you still need to eat and exercise for you to lose weight. These pills just alter some of the chemicals in your brain that will prevent you from the feeling of being hungry while you cut back.

A report from Men's Health explained that some people just fail to lose weight because they fail to control their diets for a long term. The report also explained that these weight-loss pills are only recommended for people who have body mass indexes that put them in the "overweight" or "obese" categories.

The only way to be sure that you're safe and not sorry is that don't depend on these diet pills and just do what others did. Focus on the natural way; eat healthy, be active, and leave those weight-loss pills on the shelf.