Diet Pills Symptoms and Warning Signs

Diet Pills Info

• Diet Pills Addiction and Abuse
• Diet Pills Symptoms and Warning Signs
• Diet Pills Treatment and Rehab
• Diet Pills Withdrawal and Detox

With increased social pressure to look a certain way, any pill that promises to help you lose weight might be something that you are interested in. While many people take the old-fashioned, sensible approach to weight loss where they eat less and exercise more, others want a quick fix and believe that diet pills are a magic cure for their weight issues.

Diet pills are available both on prescription or over-the-counter. Some pills are prescribed by doctors for those who are obese and who need to lose weight for their health; others are bought by those just looking to shift weight or get thin.

While some diet pills are pretty much harmless, others can be extremely dangerous, especially when abused. Diet pills are designed to work in different ways; some will prevent the body from absorbing fat, others suppress appetite, and still, others increase metabolism.

What most people who take diet pills do not realise though is that they do have the potential to be addictive. Many diet pills have properties similar to the stimulant drug amphetamine and as such can cause a surge of euphoria when taken. They can also stimulate the brain’s reward centre, making you desire them again and again.

Types of Diet Pills

Recognising the Common Warning Signs of Diet Pill Addiction

If you have been taking diet pills to help you lose weight or burn fat, you need to be alert to the signs of abuse. Some pills have the potential to become addictive, and this risk is higher when they are abused.

What you need to look out for is an increased need to use the pills. If you have progressed to using diet pills because of how they make you feel, you might become preoccupied with them. Your life may start to revolve around your medication and when your next dose is.

Another sign of abuse is if you are taking diet pills in a different way to which they were intended. You could be taking more pills than the recommended dosage to increase the effects, or you could be taking them at increasingly frequent intervals as the effects wear off. Diet pill abuse often causes an overwhelming need to use the drugs, so you might start to feel panicky or anxious if your prescription is running low.

If you believe you are not getting the desired results from your diet pills, you might be tempted to take them with other substances such as alcohol or drugs. Alternatively, you might start taking more than one type of diet pill to maximise your results. This is all classed as abuse

The Dangers of Diet Pill Abuse

If you are taking more diet pills than the recommended dose, you could also be at risk of overdose. This can leave you suffering a shortness of breath, chest pain, and an elevated risk of stroke or cardiac failure.

In addition to the impact that diet pills can have on physical health, there is also a potential effect on mental health. Some studies have suggested that abusing certain diet pills can lead brain serotonin nerve terminals being lost permanently. It is believed that this leads to mental health problems such as anxiety disorder and depression.

Diet pill abuse can also have a detrimental impact on your quality of life. If you are becoming increasingly concerned with your use of this medication, you will probably not have much time for anything or anyone else in your life. This will get worse if your use of diet pills progresses from abuse to addiction.

Recognising a Diet Pill Addiction

Learn the Immediate Side Effects of Diet Pill Abuse

The immediate side effects of diet pill abuse will depend on the type of pill being abused, but below are some examples of what you might experience:

Learn the Long-Term Diet Pill Abuse Side Effects

Long-term abuse of diet pills can potentially result in:

Intervention for a Diet Pill Addiction

A diet pill addiction can potentially have fatal consequences if left untreated. If you believe that someone you love has been abusing diet pills, it is important to tackle the issue as soon as possible. Most addictions require professional treatment, so without treatment, your loved one’s situation may deteriorate to a point where he or she completely loses control over the use of these pills.

Talk to the person about your observations and mention that you are worried about his or her wellbeing. You might find that he or she is not ready to listen to what you have to say, but that should not mean you do nothing. Raising the issue now will give the affected individual something to consider and might encourage him or her to come to terms with the issue sooner rather than later.

Detox and Withdrawal from Diet Pills

If you have an addiction to diet pills, you are likely to experience withdrawal symptoms when you stop taking them. These symptoms can include agitation, muscle pain, and depression. It is unlikely that any of the symptoms will be severe though, so you could probably detox at home under supervision. However, you could detox in a dedicated facility where the risk of any potential complications can be effectively managed and where your safety and comfort will be assured.

Treatment and Next Steps

As with all addictions, diet pill addiction is a serious illness that requires treatment. The issues that caused you to develop the addiction in the first place must be addressed if you are to move on. These may be issues that have been buried deep for a long time but not dealing with them right now might precipitate a return of your addictive behaviour later.

You should know though that rehab programmes are available for all types of addiction, include diet pill addiction. You will have a choice between a residential facility, where you will stay for the duration of your programme, or an outpatient programme, where you attend regular treatment sessions but return home after each session.

Questions about Treatment