Here is a thought provoking article from a friend of mine who always bordered on the verge of "having a weight problem". This is her view on diet pills...

"I am a woman in her twenties and I feel slightly overweight. I'm not obese, but there are a few areas about my body that I would feel better about if they were toned and if I lost a few pounds. Because of this reason, I do not feel that a strict exercise regime would help me, as I am happy with most parts of my body. I do not want to lose an extreme amount of weight, but there are a few key areas that I want to focus on.

Like many other women before me, and I'm sure will say these exact same things after me, I have tried so many different things in an attempt to sort out these problem areas - the tummy, legs, bottom etc.

I have tried diet pills, both herbal and synthetic. I have asked the question - "Is there a diet pill that works?" on many internet forums and the majority of the answers I have received have been "no," "only exercise will work" and more! There are a few types of diet pill that works on a couple of these forums, according to those that have used them. Some of these are called "Metabo Extreme" and other such names, "Clenbutemol" has been particularly popular with certain celebrities and "laminaria extract" has had great rapport with a few of the internet websites that I have visited.

I have tried all three of these. The two herbal ones - Metabo and Laminaria extract did not work for me. They have worked for a couple of my friends and family members and they have done pretty well on a lot of website forums. Clenbutemol, has been proven to work, but is medication designed for horses and has such serious side effects, not to mention being illegal in many places, that I got scared and didn't take more than a couple of the pills.

At the end of the day, there may be a diet pill that works for you out there, but I am still hunting for mine. Maybe one day it will turn up, but until that day, I think I may have to use that gym membership I signed up for a while ago, and actually start going to sort out those areas I have a problem with!"