Weight Loss Drugs – The Pros, The Cons, and The Alternatives

It’s estimated that about two-thirds of the U.S. population is overweight. Our statistics are among the worst in the world. Some people turn to drugs to handle the problem but for most people who lose weight with the drugs (and if that happens, that’s the only ‘pro’), the problem is solved only while they’re actually taking them. Once they stop, the weight gain starts all over again and they’re left with the choice of living with being overweight or taking more drugs. Not much of a solution.

What exactly the other cons? Many weight loss drugs are addictive and, like many other addictive drugs, you need to take more and more of them to get the same effect - which increases the risk of prescription drug addiction and does a lot of other damage in the process.

What kind of damage can you expect? Side effects can include rapid heartbeat, high blood pressure, heart attacks and seizures, hormonal problems, increased risk of strokes, gastrointestinal problems and interference with absorption of vital nutrients, dry mouth, insomnia, nervousness, agitation, and psychosis.

So why do we take them? Some people don’t know about the potential for addiction or other health problems, some assume those things will never happen to them, and some just can’t get it together to do what they know they need to do to lose weight without drugs. Others are desperate enough to try anything.

People who don’t have a weight problem may not understand that desperation. But being overweight seriously lowers self-esteem and, once that goes, the rest of life also deteriorates. Nothing is really more important or more fundamental than how you feel about yourself. That’s where happiness begins, and where it can end.

What are your alternatives?

Most people rely on weight loss diets - they eat nothing or go on a diet so severe they’re always starving. But how many people have said they can’t figure out why they’re not losing weight because they hardly eat a thing? In fact, that’s the problem. The body is an engine, it needs fuel to work. And if it doesn’t work, it can’t burn fat.

Others rely on exercise. They hit the streets in jogging shoes or sweat it out at the gym faithfully. But after a few months they’ve lost 10 pounds. Let’s see - another 70 to go – that means I’ll be slim in about four years. Not very rewarding.

The truth is, there is no one solution for everyone. Sure, it usually helps to eat less if we’re really big eaters in the first place – but often we’re eating more because our food choices aren’t providing the nutrition we need. We’re still craving something, so we eat more. In that case, eating less might not help.

And, yes, it will probably help if you cut down on bread, pasta and sugar. But some people rarely eat them and still have weight problems.

What is the ultimate solution? Getting tested to find out exactly what’s going on with your body – what organs, glands and systems are working and which aren’t; what nutrients you’re deficient in; which hormones are too high or too low; finding foods or other substances you’re allergic to; checking for toxicities and getting rid of them.

Not only does this approach take off the weight, and keep it off, it has the added advantage of making you healthy. And when looked at from the viewpoint of excellent health – rather than just the absence of a diagnosable disease – it handles the reasons why you were overweight in the first place.

If you want to lose weight, find a health practitioner – your M.D. won’t be able to do it, you’ll need someone who specializes in alternative medicine – who can test you for all these things and put you on a program to fix them. The weight will come off in the process.

Weight loss drugs shouldn’t be an option. You could wind up ill or in an addiction treatment center and, really, no further ahead in accomplishing your weight loss goals. Eventually, it’s going to come down to investigating the situation with a fine-toothed comb, so you might as well start there and not waste your time with things that will, ultimately, be discouraging.

If you’re already hooked on diet pills, get into an addiction treatment center to help you get off them safely, and then you can address the problem with these other, workable, solutions.