Canada's online magazine: Politics, entertainment, technology, media, arts, books: backofthebook.ca

Politics, tech, media, culture and more, from a Canadian point-of-view

  • Politics
  • Media
  • Culture
  • Science and Tech
  • Living
  • Arts and Books
  • Features
  • The Video
You are here: Home / Living / Say goodbye to Meridia — and all other diet pills

Say goodbye to Meridia — and all other diet pills

09/16/2010 by backofthebook.ca 3 Comments

pill-headby Jodi A. Shaw

Surprise, surprise, another diet pill may be pulled from store shelves.

Meridia, manufactured by Illinois-based Abbott Laboratories, is under review by the FDA after a study raised concerns that the pill increases the risk of heart attack and stroke. Yesterday, fully half of the FDA’s advisory panel recommended that it be pulled from the market.

Available only by prescription in the U.S. and Canada, Meridia is intended for patients who need to lose 30+ pounds. Its chief ingredient is sibutramine, which suppresses appetite and can cause an increase in blood pressure and heart rate in some patients. It has a long list of possible negative side effects, including anorexia, which can be devastating to the mental, emotional, and physical health of those taking the drug.

According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation, almost 60% of adult Canadians (about 14.1 million) are overweight or obese, and it’s no surprise that many of them turn to diet pills to shed weight. Manufacturers usually advise that they should be taken in combination with a calorie-reduced diet and exercise. But how often does that happen? “I know a guy who takes HydroxyCut,” a friend told me once. “He eats whatever he wants and doesn’t gain a pound.” That’s the truth about diet pills, really. They become a substitute for healthy eating and exercise.

The drug companies also insist they aren’t habit-forming, but, as a former diet pill addict, I can attest otherwise. My addiction went hand in hand with an eating disorder, but even when I started to eat normally, I struggled to get off the pills. Losing weight is difficult, and given the thin-obsessed society we live in, women remain extremely susceptible to their allure.

I’ve been off them, and maintaining a healthy, comfortable weight, for several years now. In fact, I’m thinner now than I was for much of the time I took diet pills — a feat achieved simply by healthy eating and exercise.

I wasted a lot of money filling the pockets of the diet industry when the real solution was free. Not only in financial terms, but also free of negative side effects. Eating a well-balanced diet and exercising is a guaranteed way to keep your body trim and in shape, and, unlike many diet pills, is good for your overall physical and cardiovascular health. But it’s not a popular choice because it isn’t easy. It takes time and effort, dedication and education, and the results aren’t immediate.

But it’s worth it. This past weekend, I completed my first marathon — that’s 42.2 km of running — and I have never been so proud of my body. There isn’t a diet pill in the world that can make me feel that sort of pride.

Should Meridia be taken off the shelves, I’m sure it won’t be gone for long. It will likely be reformulated and returned, like so many others. Even so, I’d advise everyone, overweight, obese, or not, to keep it and all other diet pills out of your medicine cabinet. I’m glad they’ve been banished from mine.

Filed Under: Living Tagged With: drugs, health, medicine, women

Subscribe to BoB by e-mail or RSS

Comments

  1. Bob Devine says

    09/27/2010 at 3:05 pm

    Maybe it is time to go back to the tried and true old time methods of weight control.

    tapeworm diet

    Who knows it might even work. LOL.

  2. Meridia says

    09/17/2010 at 5:17 am

    I took meridia since last few years and lost 60+ pounds with it, no side effects ever. I never face any problem and no issue of heart attack with this medicine

Trackbacks

  1. Immediate Results Diet Pills | Advanced Goji Berry says:
    02/10/2016 at 2:02 am

    […] Say goodbye to Meridia — and all other diet pills – unlike many diet pills, is good for your overall physical and cardiovascular health. But it’s not a popular choice because it isn’t easy. It takes time and effort, dedication and education, and the results aren’t immediate. But it’s worth it. […]

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Google+
  • Living
  • Politics
  • Media
  • Culture
  • Arts and Books
  • Features
  • The Video
Fire sale sign

Fort McMurray: Shopping time!

By Brady Tighe We’re now officially in the aftermath phase of the northern Alberta wildfire crisis. The fire is long gone, and everyone with a home to return to is back in its … [Read More...]

Nathan Cullen

Electoral reform: Hashtag fresh thinking

By Alison@Creekside The most interesting and innovative idea to come out of the first meeting of the all-party Special Committee on Electoral Reform, or ERRE, was Nathan Cullen's suggestion, … [Read More...]

Trudeau on quantum computing

The Trudeau gush fest is getting old

By Jim Henshaw There have been several bewildered as well as angry accounts coming out of the USA lately about how little media time has been spent covering the Democratic Presidential Primary … [Read More...]

Rick Meyers in Nanaimo Pride Parade

My friend, Rick, at the Pride Parade

By Frank Moher On this dreadful day, I don't want to write about the shootings in Orlando. I want to write about my friend, Rick. Rick lives just outside of Nanaimo, a city of about 80,000, … [Read More...]

Stephen Colbert on Late Night set

Triumph of the drama nerds

By Frank Moher Two drama nerds have recently moved into high profile positions. Before I name them (or perhaps you’ve already guessed who they are; or perhaps you’d like to scroll down and look at … [Read More...]

From “Our Rape Blog”: Shooting the Moon

Originally published on Our Rape Blog, the author's account of the aftermath of a violent sexual assault. By Mary Fraughton Have you ever played Hearts? It’s a card game. For our purposes, … [Read More...]

First Nations defending Lelu Island

The video: Lelu Island: “They will come.”

From Creekside: The B.C. provincial government is trying to green light the construction of a massive LNG terminal on Lelu Island in the Skeena Estuary -- Pacific Northwest LNG, backed by Malaysian … [Read More...]

Google

Follow Us!

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter

RSS CBC News



Recent Posts

  • Fort McMurray: Shopping time!
  • From “Our Rape Blog”: Shooting the Moon
  • Electoral reform: Hashtag fresh thinking
  • The fish hotel
  • Hatred on an Alberta golf course
  • The video: Lelu Island: “They will come.”
  • My friend, Rick, at the Pride Parade
  • Our selective sympathy
  • The Water Bomber, The Frogman and The Great Canadian Novelist
  • Komagata Maru: The story behind the apology

Tags

9/11 Afghanistan Alberta bad behaviour books British Columbia business Canada Canadian military Canadian politics CBC celebrity computers Conservatives crime environment family film G20 Globe and Mail internet Jason Kenney journalism Justin Trudeau law Liberals Maclean's music National Post NDP newspapers oil sands online media Ontario Quebec RCMP religion sports Stephen Harper television theatre Toronto U.S. Vancouver women

Archives

The Video: Lelu Island: “They will come.”

Pages

  • About
  • Privacy

Copyright © 2023 · News Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in