Friday, February 3, 2006
Near the end of the last May, Nicole wanted to cut 30 pounds from her 5-foot-9, 173-pound frame. Her lifestyle at that time was not suitable to losing the weight. Diet pills presented a reasonable alternative.
Nicole, who requested her last name not be used, said she worked out three to four times a week for the first month while taking a diet pill called Release. She soon stopped working out, yet continued taking the pill. Her weight fluctuated up and down, but Nicole saw no real progress.
Nicole is part of a growing number of overweight Americans. This population is one drug companies are trying to market to with diet drugs, as well as trying to get the FDA to approve the drugs. But health experts say the drugs don’t replace healthy eating and exercise, and could lead to abuse.
Pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline reports that Americans spend $23 billion dollars annually on diet pills. In fact, 65 percent of Americans are overweight or obese, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
It’s not hard to see why Glaxo is trying to get its prescription diet pill, Orlistat, approved by the Food and Drug Administration for over-the-counter use.
If made public, it is estimated that Glaxo would make $1.5 billion in retail sales given the projected 5 million to 6 million people who would buy the drug at a price of $12 to $25.
But the effectiveness of Orlistat, which blocks fat absorption, has been called into question.
“I wouldn’t take it,” said Dennis Grauer, professor in pharmacy practice and one-time Glaxo contractor. “If you look at pharmacy sales, it’s a dead drug.”
The potential for abuse of the drug, which is intended for those clinically diagnosed as obese, is a serious concern for opponents of Orlistat. Grauer said he didn’t foresee a major potential for abuse because of one glaring side effect: loose stools.
Ann Chapman, clinical dietitian at Watkins Memorial Health Center, disagrees with that notion. Chapman said that those with eating disorders would be most apt to abuse the drug, similar to bulimics who abuse laxatives.
Chapman said diet pills had no substance.
“I see them as a crutch, and I don’t think they’re a good idea,” Chapman said.
While diet pills will continue to be used, Chapman has simple advice for those trying to lose weight: “Eat less, exercise more and follow the food pyramid.”
Grauer said he saw a huge demand to take diet pills to fix a problem, but taking diet pills alone was not beneficial.
“They’re a tool that may help, but they need to be used with diet and exercise to sustain any weight loss,” Grauer said.
Fed up with being jittery and seeing no progress, Nicole stopped taking the diet pills last November and started working out with a trainer. She also made changes to her diet. In the near three months since she made the change, Nicole said she had lost 12 pounds — without the help of diet pills — on the way to her goal of losing 30.
— Edited by John Jordan
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