Appetite Suppressants

If unplanned weight loss attempts with fad diets fall through, the more people start applying pharmaceutical remedies also known as weight loss pills or diet pills. There are great number of approaches those pills apply for weight loss, but the most known and popular pills nowadays are appetite suppressants.

The action mechanism of appetite suppressants is typically affecting hunger control centers in our brain that result in the sense of fullness. Depending on the nature of appetite suppressant, the active ingredients can be either chemicals or natural (or herbal).

Pharmaceutical appetite suppressants

Anorectics, also known as anorexigenics, are substances that decreas our desire to eat. These substances are basically stimulants of the phenylamine family. Their principle of action is based on increasing the neurochemicals affecting our mood and appetite: serotonin and catecholamine.

Pharmaceutical appetite suppressants are commonly prescribed by doctors in case of clinical obesity. Clinical means that MDs qualify obesity as a disease, attributed to genetic problems.

Parmaceutical appetite suppressants can also be prescribed to help patients push their weight loss efforts, although such efforts are casual. And sometimes appetite suppressants hold pride of place among cures of mental health problems.

Do prescription anorectics really work?

Prescription drugs were relatively unpopular as a way to reach significant weight loss and due to posing some potential dangers to patients’ health.  In 1990s a small study was held on phentermine and fenfluramine efficacy where 121 overweight patients participated.

The study proved these medications really showed positive weight loss results, and it was enough to grow belief among overweight people that using anorectics is really beneficial. Since the time the study results were published, the popularity of pharmaceutical appetite suppressants began to grow, despite the fact that only one third of patients completed the study, with major part of them regaining weight during its latter stages.

Benefits at a high cost

Prescription anorectics show mainly short-term results. The adverse effects include increased blood pressure and heart rate, constipation, insomnia, thirst, drowsiness, headaches, anxiety and even more. Many cases were reported that patients experienced a racing heartbeat or corollary cardiac complications.

The use of appetite suppression drugs is also associated with the increased risk of pulmonary hypertension, as International Primary Pulmonary Hypertension Study showed.

Several studies showed also the effect of “weight loss plateau” after about 6 months of appetite suppressants use. Possible reasons may be developed tolerance or reaching the limits of effectiveness.

We can clearly see that most anorectics are intended primarily for short-term treatment of obesity.

Natural appetite suppressants

Considering natural appetite suppressants, we can say they are all available over-the-counter. The problem is that in comparison with prescription anorectics natural appetite suppressants are not strictly regulated by FDA and other official organizations.

You cannot know for sure the exact mechanism of action of its active ingredients until appetite suppressant contains known ingredients with studied effects. But commonly clinical trials of major part of natural appetite suppressants are so scarce that the weight loss efficacy of such pills is doubtful.

Clear example is Hoodia Gordonii – the most popular natural active ingredient with appetite suppression and mood altering capacities. Despite of its popularity, Hoodia Gordonii does not have enough clinical background to prove its efficacy. Though, it is known that taking Hoodia Gordonii does affect our appetite that can significantly reduce calorie intake and boost our weight loss.

Like the pharmaceutical anorectics, Hoodia P57 molecules affect hunger control centers in the brain… But, our over eating is not only triggered by hunger. Overeating is often an obsessive habit that is driven by social or emotional problems. And appetite suppressant cannot help here.

The real benefits of appetite suppressants

If you promised yourself you would lose weight this year, and you don’t figure how to get started and need some extra boost to make it more easy way – appetite suppressants are the way to go.

Appetite suppressants can help you to lose weight while you are learning new ways to eat and to exercise, but changes in eating habits and activity level must be developed and continued to ensure long-term weight loss.