What You Should Know About Diet Aides And Certain Diet Tactics / Question
Published: May 7, 2002
Dear TeenHealthFX,
Can diet pills cause your birth control pills to become ineffective in any way?
Signed: Diet Pills & Birth Control Pills
Dear Diet Pills & Birth Control Pills,
There has been a lot of inquiry into whether diet pills decrease the effectiveness of birth control pills but there is not enough data in the medical/scientific literature to say one way or the other. It simply has not been studied enough.
However, just taking diet pills alone can be problematic. Many over the counter diet pills can be dangerous to your health. For example, some diet products contain Ephedrine, which is an amphetamine like compound (stimulant) that has potential powerful effects on the central nervous system (CNS) and heart. Ephedrine can cause high blood pressure, irregularities in heart rate, insomnia, nervousness, tremors, headaches and seizures. Other diet pills have similar stimulants properties that can cause the same problems. Just because these pills are available "over the counter" does not mean they are harmless or safe.
You should never combine any prescribed or non-prescribed medication without checking with your doctor first. Many drugs are harmless by themselves but can become unsafe if combined with other medications.
If you are interested in losing weight, dieting is not the way to go As a teenager, your body is still growing and needs proper nutrients, that you can often times deprive yourself of on fad diets. The best way to maintain a healthy weight is to eat healthy and to get regular exercise.
Signed: TeenHealthFX
At all levels of blood alcohol concentration (BAC), the risk of involvement in a motor vehicle crash is greater for teens than for older drivers.
