Questions about Diet Pills?
by Jessica
Hi,
I’m a final year Journalism student and I’m writing an article for a project on
diet pills.
Could someone please answer a couple of brief questions for me to go in the article? The questions are below.
Thank you for your time,
Jess
Questions
1. Name, job role:
2. Can diet pills be addictive? Why?
3. What are the potential dangers of being addicted to diet pills?
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Diet Pills Can Be Addictive
We are bombarded by television ads inviting us to burn off fat and get slim for summer. While many are prescribed by a physician, we can get them over the counter as well. We think they are harmless. If you “Google” diet pills, you’ll find countless sites selling them. But diet pills can be addictive. People can develop both physical and psychological addictions to these drugs. People will push the limits and not follow recommended dosages and time limits, so they get into trouble. Many diet pills contain Ephedra, which was banned by the Food and Drug Administration at one time, but has made a return after the ban was reversed. Like addiction to any other drug, there can be serious health consequences. With diet pills there is often an underlying emotional or psychological issue. People who suffer from an eating disorder, for example, will often have an accompanying addiction to diet pills. If someone is taking these pills for more than a month, it’s a sign that something is wrong. We make light of this addiction on television with skits about a housewife who is cleaning the living room at 3:00 a.m. because she’s wired on speed. An issue with non-prescription diet pills is that they are not regulated, because the FDA does not consider over-the-counter drugs to be drugs. Supplements are in that category, so it’s almost like the days of the traveling huckster selling a cure-all elixir that will fix anything from the common cold to lumbago.
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