We all understand the desire to be vibrant, healthy and at our optimal weight. Yet sadly, in attempt to lose extra weight quickly, many people turn to weight-loss drugs or cheap supplements instead of the natural methods of weight loss which take more time, but work more effectively in the long run. There are many over-the-counter weight loss drugs that stimulate the metabolic process and suppress appetite through artificial means.
One of the most popular of these weight loss drugs is called Alli, a prescription-strength version of Xenical. This drug can currently be bought over the counter, despite the fact that it is being investigated by the FDA because of orlistat, the weight-loss ingredient in Alli, that may be causing hepatoxicity (another way of saying liver damage).
Sadly, this is only one of the potential adverse and serious side effects of this and many other weight loss pills. Other effects may include hepatitis, adrenal burnout as well as other health concerns.
According to the preliminary studies of Alli, patients lost a whopping 1 pound per month on average. Is 1 pound a month really worth the risk of damaging your liver.
More Concerns Involving Liver Damage
While the FDA has looked into Alli’s potential link to liver damage at an April 2009 reunion of its Drug Safety Oversight Board (DSB), a major concern involving the FDA is the fact that the organization is not issuing any warnings for those individuals currently taking the over the counter drug.
If this drug was an organic herbal supplement, the FDA would be quick to pull it from the shelves while putting the manufacturer under investigation and probably throwing them in jail. But, because this is a big pharmaceutical company designed to slowly make us ill and keep us in the system until we die, they allow this harmful drug to continue to be sold over-the-counter even despite the fact that it is currently under investigation for the role it plays in liver damage. Every pharmaceutical drug causes damage to the body and only addresses the symptoms and never the root cause!
Alli is also being actively marketed as we speak. Moreover, the majority of diet pills sold over the counter in the United States do not need pre-approval by the FDA, as they are not typified as drugs, but are considered food!
Currently, the FDA considers diet pills safe until found otherwise. What is more, it is not up to companies who sell these drugs to look into their safety, but is the job of the FDA. Usually, due to budgetary restraints, the FDA will wait for “adverse results” to appear in those taking the drug, before any disciplinary measures take place. The FDA also has not reported how many liver-damage reports from real human beings taking the drug Alli actually exist.
We should be aware that liver damage is a highly serious condition involving liver inflammation, necrosis (a form of hepatitis), vascular lesions, and even possible liver failure. The drug companies themselves even list liver injury as a possible side effect. But why has the FDA not generated reports on this liver damage?
It may be related to the fact that, last year alone, Alli generated over $130 million dollars in sales during its first year on the diet-pill market. And GlaxoSmithKlineBeecham (the maker of Alli) is a pharmaceutical giant who spends millions lobbying for their drug approvals.
How To *SAFELY* Lose Weight
Losing weight requires a firm commitment to eating healthy, organic food on a daily basis. It also involves important lifestyle changes such as following a frequent exercise routine and reducing the stress in your life, as well as a commitment to these processes over time. This is the only true way towards sustainable weight loss, without any of the risky potential side effects such as those discussed in this article.
The bottom line is that we must take health into our own hands. We should not wait for the FDA to come to conclusions before people should stop taking this drug.
As always, natural supplements that aid weight loss are the best support when they are combined with sustained healthy diet and lifestyle choices. If you are interested in natural ways to lose weight I recommend reading The 10 super Secrets to Weight Loss.
November 5th, 2010 at 11:16 am
You have created a superb document with a lot of reliable information about how we are able to eat to get far more feed and also healty and the same time learn how to look for the right product or service that will help us all.
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October 13th, 2010 at 7:34 pm
YES,I take Alli as needed. I would never take Alli on a daily basis.All Alli does is allow your body NOT to absorb all the fat that you eat.Its side effects really FORCE you to pay attention to everything you do and eat.If i want to eat something i make sure& check that it is in the 15-18% fat content range,I also pay attention to my portion sizes and stop eating as soon as i feel full.
I have a system and this is how it goes.
I keep Alli on hand if i know that i am going to eat a more fattening meal then usual.If i plan to eat a half a pint of ice cream or go with my daughter to eat out i have them in my purse,this way i know quite a bit of this mainly unhealthy fat is on its way out!.I do not take the pills when i eat a salad or my daily Avocado,most all healthy meals that i eat i will not use the pill.I want my body to absorbed the healthy good fats.I think taking this pill 3 times a day could be taxing on your liver-its just using the drug to much in my opinion.
When i do finally run out of the diet pills i purposely wait about a month to buy some more and get it out of my system…
The Alli budget: Alli is not cheap,and it rarely goes on sale,but you can get it cheaper if you know what to look for.
I have a ALLI BUDGET of $35.00-$40.00 total for 120 Alli diet pills.
If you check the internet for store sales,Amazon on especially EBAY you can almost always get a 120 bottle for $39.99,and that is the going rate for 60 pills at the store.
When ever I see the price i want to spend only then do i buy.Sometimes i have to wait more then a month and that is ok for my health and my pocket book.
Other things i do to lose weight is cut out ALL foods and processed products that contain HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP or HYDROGENATED OILS.These ingredients are altered by man and do not allow your body to feel full so you do eat more.If you are going to eat something sweet MAKE sure it contains real sugar so your body CAN tell you “stop eating i am full”
If you have a treadmill before you decide to run/walk,buy a waist wrap- tighten it as tight as you can around your waist and run in front of the TV!
1-30 min. show later you have now ran over a mile:)
You will also notice lots more sweat around your waist from wrap.My waist can’t live without it!
Its the corset concept,you have seen women on tv and the internet with the small waist lines due to wearing a corset.Take measurements of your waist line before you start wearing it for a couple hours a day.Then check your waistline a month later and you will see it works quite well…good luck to all!
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August 9th, 2010 at 4:06 am
I used Alli for a couple of months and I had extremely painful headaches at first I thought the headaches were coming from stress. I stopped taking Alli and the heaadaces went away. I restarted with Alli again after a few weeks and the headaches returened along with acne. I sopped using the product all together. Has anyone had any of those side effects headaches and acne?
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February 1st, 2010 at 1:06 pm
In years of battling my weight, the one thing I’ve constantly avoided is medicine and drugs. On a different note, doesn’t the Alli logo look a bit like Google’s?
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January 22nd, 2010 at 10:00 am
So long as people are looking for a quick fix for obesity, these snake oil salesmen will continue to prey on their insecurities. All of these quick fix pills seem to be fraught with danger. It takes time, steady diet, and good exercise habits to lose weight.
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January 21st, 2010 at 7:14 am
Useful information. It would be interesting to have suggestions on really safe drugs or diets for weight loss.
Best Regards
Mario Pesce
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January 21st, 2010 at 1:07 am
I was just recently wondering how effective this product is because I keep seeing the commercials. I’m glad you posted this.
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January 19th, 2010 at 4:25 pm
I took this stuff for about two weeks. I got constant headaches and stomachaches. I stopped taking it and all of those symptoms went away within a day or so.
Coincidence? maybe…. but I don’t think so.
Take Alli with caution.
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