Do Weight Loss Pills Work?

The idea of a “magic bullet” pill for weight loss has been a popular one since the 1920s (with evidence of similar ideas reaching as far back as the second century AD). 

Many of these early pills were based more on the idea of making your body expend more energy; the most common ingredients were hormones and stimulants – thyroid hormones, caffeine and even drugs such as amphetamines were often prescribed as “diet pills”, despite their side effects and addictive potential. Indeed, many of these early diet pills could be fatal if used for extended periods. 

In the modern day, we are experiencing a weight loss revolution, alongside far tighter controls on what sort of medication can be prescribed and stronger, more ethical clinical trials before medications are made available. However, unsafe methods are still available through unlicensed channels.

Today, we will take a look at the sorts of weight loss pills that are widely available, including ones which we can prescribe, and see how effective they can be.

How Do Weight Loss Pills Work?

The most common weight loss pills on the market currently are Xenical, Alli and Orlistat. All of these pills work in similar ways, as they contain the same active ingredient – orlistat. Xenical uses 120mg of orlistat, while Alli only uses 60mg (and generic Orlistat is available in either strength).

Orlistat is a type of compound called a lipase inhibitor. When you eat foods which contain fats, your body breaks the long chains of fats down using a hormone called lipase. Once broken down, your body can absorb these smaller chains of fat, burning them for energy or storing them for later use.

Orlistat prevents lipase from breaking these fats down. As they are too large to be digested, they will simply pass through your digestive system, not adding any of their calories to your diet.

Xenical provides a higher dose of this inhibitor, which means more of the fats in food you eat will be prevented from being digested. However, this also means you may face stronger side effects.

The most common side effect of these medications is the simple fact that this fat still has to leave your body. Undigested fats will be excreted via your faeces; this can lead to slick, oily stools, as well as upset stomachs, diarrhoea, bowel incontinence and flatulence with discharge. These can be controlled by eating less fatty foods.

Another well-known weight loss drug is Mysimba. Rather than using orlistat, Mysimba uses naltrexone and bupropion. It’s not known exactly how Mysimba works, but the two active ingredients act on the parts of the brain that control food intake and the pleasurable feeling of eating.

This helps to reduce appetite and increase energy expenditure. When used alongside a calorie-restricted diet and physical exercise, Mysimba can help you to lose weight. 

However, due to interactions with various medicines such as antidepressants and opioids, as well as effects on health conditions such as high blood pressure, seizures and bipolar disorder, people taking Mysimba should be closely monitored for side effects and to check their weight loss progress whilst taking this medicine.

For the above reasons, we don’t currently offer Mysimba on Simple Online Pharmacy. We believe that Mysimba is less suited for online prescribing, and should ideally be prescribed after a face to face consultation with a doctor.

How Do I Know if Weight Loss Pills are Working for Me?

The simplest way to see if these pills are working for you is to keep track of your weight loss. As with many weight loss medications and diet methods, patients may see stronger results at first, which taper off as you approach a “plateau” – you start losing less weight as your body and lifestyle reaches an equilibrium with the medication.

In some cases, this may coincide with your weight loss goals; for others, it may fall short.

While watching the scales can give you an idea exactly how much you are losing, many professionals will prefer to use your body mass index (BMI) to measure where your weight should be. Note that BMI is a generalised measurement; if you are shorter or taller than average, or have a higher percentage of muscle mass, your BMI may be higher or lower than expected for your body weight.

As with any medicated weight management tool, these pills should be combined with a low-fat diet and exercise for maximum benefit. Regular physical activity is one of the keystones of weight loss – using more energy than you are taking in allows your body to use some of its stored calories (as fatty tissue).

If you feel these pills are not working, or you are noticing their reduced effectiveness in either the short term or long term, speak to your doctor, pharmacist or health care professional for advice.