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In part 2 of the 5 part series on dangers of supplements, vitamins and OTC diet pills you will find some of the updated information of the dangers of OTC diet pills and supplements directly from the FDA:
Part 1: Spiked Diet Pills
January 25, 2009: FDA- Beware of Dietary Supplements, Herbal, & "Natural" Products for Weight Loss and Brazilian Diet Pills:
OTC Diet Pills Don't Work and They Can Harm You. The FDA is investigating 28 over the counter pills claimed to produce weight loss. They found large amounts of prescription drugs mixed with the pills. “Consumers have no way of knowing that these products contain powerful drugs that could cause serious health problems” reports the FDA. 3x Slimming Power, Perfect Slim, Pro-Slim Plus, and Som o trim.
 are some of the adulterated weight loss pills. Be suspicious of claims like “no-hunger,” “no exercise,” “fat burner,” or “metabolism booster.”
Brazilian Diet Pills Contain Amphetamines: This FDA report follows a serious warning in 2007, concerning Brazilian Diet pills–Magrece Sim and Herbathin. Marketed as “dietary supplements,” they contained high doses of amphetamines, and the active ingredients in Librium and Prozac. They may be habit forming, and can cause anxiety, heart palpitations, drowsiness, dizziness and impair the ability to drive.
Brazilian Diet Pills Contain High Doses of Other Dangerous Drugs: More information about drugs from Brazil was reported by Dr Pieter Cohen from Harvard Medical School in 2007. He reviewed the abuse of Fenproporex, the second most often prescribed amphetamine-based appetite suppressant. Fenproporex is known to be addictive and is rapidly converted into amphetamine in the body. The internet and other illegal markets have made these drugs even more available.
"Natural" Does NOT Mean Safe: What is the overweight individual to do when faced with the temptation to take these types of substance? Four things should come to mind:
1. “ Natural” and “herbal” are not necessarily safe. They are not effective, even if one could be sure that they are pure.
2. Any substance marketed as a " dietary supplement" should be suspect. There is little to no FDA regulation of these chemicals
3 Other than vitamins and minerals for children and pregnant women, no one needs "supplements."
4. There are NO safe and effective OTC Diet Pills in the first place.
The Only Safe and Proven Diet Pills: If you do not obtain them with a prescription from a licensed physician following an office evaluation, don’t take them. They will not work and they can harm you.
The only safe and effective weight loss pills in the U.S. are controlled prescription drugs,which include phentermine, diethylpropion and phendimetrazine. If you are considering these drugs, seek a physician with skill in prescribing them.
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