While there are many ways to lose weight, taking diet pills is one preferred method because it is less costly with less effort, and more convenient to use. The idea of taking a diet pill that has a great potential to help you lose weight is very appealing to many people, especially if you are someone who has struggled to lose weight in the past. Many people are led to believe that they are safe and effective, but the truth, is that they can cause serious side effects and in many cases death has occurred. While some diet aids work by suppressing appetite or causing you to get rid of water, some products actually help you burn fat. These contain the herb ephedra. “Also known as mahuang, this herbal supplement was used for centuries in Chinese medicine. Considered by some to be the most hazardous of the supplements” (Fit, p. 60). Ephedrine stimulates the nervous system, can be addictive, and can lead to abuse. There is a lot of research being done on the use of ephedrine and its side effects. “The effect is similar to using amphetamines. It contains several active ingredients found in cold and sinus drugs” (Fit, p.60). “Ephedrine is usually combined with caffeine to enhance the effects” (Natural Health, 51). Ephedrine is controversial. There is research that says ephedrine is bad for everyone and research that says ephedrine is safe if used properly. Recently, the Food and Drug Administration issued a proposal calling for the manufacturers of these diet products to include a warning to their customers about the dangers of high doses of ephedrine. However, many of the warnings for these diet pills are written in very fine print, so people skip the warnings and read the part that says “benefits and guaranteed weight loss”.

My sophomore year I looked great. I was wearing clothes for “skinny girls” and I was happy with myself. However, halfway through the school year, I had gotten a part time job after school and I had no time to workout as much as I used to, so I gave up exercising altogether. I began eating more than what I had been eating for the past few months. I felt that I had starved myself. I ended up gaining back the weight and I felt miserable. I blamed it on my job and I had to find a faster way this time to lose the weight. I was flipping through the channels one night when I saw a commercial for Xenadrine. The big bold letters on the TV caught my attention. “Advanced Weight Loss Formula”, will make you “Lose Fat Fast”, and “Increase Energy”. I was a little hesitant about the before and after pictures (they didn’t look real) but I thought why not give the pills a try. It claimed that a woman had lost over 59 lbs in less than 9 weeks without exercising (I can still remember the ads) and I said to myself, if she can do it so can I. Although it didn’t take me 9 weeks to lose weight and I didn’t achieve my desired goal weight, I did experience some its side effects.

For the first 2 months that I was taking Hydroxycut, I became very lightheaded and had blurred vision. I thought that I just needed to get my eyes checked because I might need a new prescription. I went to see my eye doctor and he told me that my eyes were fine, although I kept telling him that I couldn’t see sometimes. I wasn’t able to connect this to the possible side effects of Hydroxycut listed on the back of the bottle. Since I had finished the bottle, I bought another one just to make sure that my weight would remain the same. This time I began to see more and more the side effects of these pills. My heart rate increased and I had minor chest pains, but I ignored these symptoms. I had lost my appetite, which I thought was great. The one time I became very scared was when I was at work (daycare) and fainted when I took the children outside. It was hot and humid, my heart rate went up and all I remember was everything turned black. I couldn’t see anything. My coteachers had to ask someone to

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