How to Use Diet Pills Safely

Some diet pills use natural ingredients and homeopathic elixirs, while others rely on caffeine and other over-the-counter stimulants. Diet pills should never be used as a substitute for cutting calories and increasing exercise, or without your doctor's approval.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Diet Pills
• Pulse/heart Monitors

1. Take the diet pill whole, with a full glass of water. Never crush the pill and dissolve it in a beverage.

2. Drink eight glasses of water a day. Diet pills often have a diuretic effect - in other words, they cause you to urinate more frequently, which can lead to dehydration.

3. Take only the recommended dose. Taking more will not help you lose more weight. It will increase your risk of side effects.

4. Check your pulse while on diet pills. It should be less than 86 beats a minute. If your pulse is 90 or higher, stop taking them.

5. Follow the diet plan enclosed in the box of diet pills. You will not lose weight if you don't reduce calories.

6. Stop taking the diet pills after three months. Some studies have found that the common diet drug phenylpropanolamine is safe to use for up to 16 weeks. Other studies have shown that it can cause health problems in under a month.

Tips & Warnings

• Your local pharmacist can help you determine whether diet pills are safe for you to use.

• Be careful about "natural" ingredients; just because something is derived from a natural source doesn't mean it's safe. Ma huang is a botanical source of ephedrine, which is a stimulant, and guar gum. Both are being studied for potential side effects.

• Avoid diet drugs of all types if you have high blood pressure, thyroid or prostate problems, a mental illness, or an irregular heart rate. Don't take them if you have had strokes or seizures. They shouldn't be taken with cold medicines, especially those containing decongestants. Don't take them if you are pregnant or nursing.

• Avoid taking diet drugs if you are allergic to sulfites or tartrazine.

• Avoid caffeine pills if you are pregnant, or suspect you might be. Caffeine increases the risk of a miscarriage.

• Check with your doctor before taking diet pills if you are under 18 or over 60.