Five diet pills to avoid that can be harmful to your health

Dangers of using some weight loss supplements

01. Fenfluramine

Fenfluramine and phentermine are the active ingredients in something called “Fen-Phen”, which was a popular weight loss drug in the 1990s. However, because of alarming cases of significant side effects, including heart damage and lung disease, Fen-Phen was recalled. Move on to Phentermine, which is sometimes prescribed, has several brand names including Ionamin and Sentis. This should only be used under a doctor’s supervision, but fenfluramine and Fen-Phen are banned diet pills. Don’t go near them unless your Doctor in Australia recommends them.

02. Sibutramine

This is bad. It’s sold under the names Meridia, Reductil, and Sibutrex, it’s an appetite suppressant and was very effective in helping people lose weight, however it had bad side effects. Sibutramine is a serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, but which was banned in Australia in 2010 because of increased risk of cardiovascular events.

03. Clenbuterol

This is a steroid that treats respiratory problems in horses, and it is not approved for people. That should tell you enough. Clenbuterol is a fat-burning drug that raises your metabolic rate. Even though it is not approved for use in Australia, some athletes and bodybuilders use Clenbuterol to help them ‘do their thing’. People are advised that Clenbuterol is a prescription-only substance in Australia and is included on the World Anti-Doping Authority's list of banned substances.

The supply of BFB Be Fast Block Capsules containing undisclosed Clenbuterol is illegal. Despite all of this, some people, including models and athletes, have taken these illegal weight loss pills to lose weight and gain muscle. Why people do this is beyond us as it iisn’t safe because it hasn’t been tested on people, and there’s some serious evidence that it can damage the heart.

04. Ephedra

This is a herbal stimulant with roots in traditional Chinese medicine. ephedra was all over the place among dieters in the 1990s and early 2000s. But hold your horses, this was until it was discovered that could cause stroke, heart attack, and even death. Ephedra, also known as Ephedrine, is simple form is a potent herb renowned for its energy-boosting and stimulant properties, making it of obvious interest to the fitness community.

The herb's potency lies in its alkaloids - ephedrine and pseudoephedrine act as stimulants to the central nervous system. These two little nuggets increase blood pressure, heart rate and metabolic rate, leading to increased energy, enhanced focus, and, why it’s listed here, potential fat loss.

Ephedrine carries certain health risks and legal constraints in Australia where it is listed as a Schedule 4 drug.

05. Dinitrophenol

Dinitrophenol (or DNP as it is more commonly know as) prevents energy from being stored as fat - it instead releases energy as heat, which increases body temperature. NSW Health have advised that this can damage the cells of organs including the kidney and brain.

DNP has caused deaths in Australia and overseas and has recently been declared a poison. Basically, avoid it!