In today's world where being overweight is becoming a commonplace condition; this situation is now affecting children of pre-school age and is a worrying aspect. To cure this problem, some people have resorted to surgical measures whereas others have decided that adjustments to their food intake and an increase in physical activity are necessary. If surgery isn't bad enough, increasing numbers of overweight people start to take weight loss drugs as a fast and relatively inexpensive way to shed excess fat.

The process is relatively simple as the drugs act upon the brain's own chemical, serotonin, fooling the brain into believing it's not hungry and at the same time increasing the body's metabolism. Unfortunately for the manufacturers, it was found that incidence of heart valve disease were connected to the use of the weight control pills and were rapidly removed from the shelves. Of course the manufacturers did not give up that easily and new drugs were created, these drugs are still being prescribed even though the Federal Drug Administration has not yet approved them

The chances are that if you asked enough people, someone will say they have used them and been happy with the results. Let's be honest, it's in our nature to like things that provide near instant results, without having to put in any effort. As a consequence, drug companies spend millions of dollars in research on weight loss drugs while consumers spend even more buying the pills.

An individual wishing to buy weight control pills can do so over-the-counter or have them prescribed by their doctor; however there are still health risks associated with their use. Surprisingly more dangerous side effects exist including stroke, heart attack, renal failure to name only a few, so these drugs are still far from safe to use.

It is always a good idea to see your doctor first before you take any course of drugs; this can lower the possibility of some side effects occurring, although this may depend on the genetic makeup of the person using them. Other problems may also occur when the pills are discontinued. Problems like depression, nausea, bad mood swings, nightmares, insomnia for example have all been reported when a person has stopped taking the weight control pills

Whilst the effectiveness of these weight loss drugs is not in question, they are more effective if they are used alongside a controlled diet and exercise regime. A diet that is full of foods such as oats, rice, cereals, potatoes, vegetables and fruits contain a good supply of vitamins, minerals and essential fiber.