There are a lot of people who use assortment of over-the-counter drugs to help ease out their weight issues or eating disorders. However, all of these means are dangerous if taken in excess or even as directed on the drug information.

Oftentimes, people who want to lose weight fast are easy preys on diet scams. Diet scams exist as different ways of loosing weight. Perhaps the most common diet scam comes from diet pills.

Let me make it clear though. Not all diet pills are scams. However, there are diet pills sold as over-the-counter appetite suppressants like phenylpropanolamine, caffeine pills and ephedrine hydrochloride that cause several adverse side effects to a dieter if taken continuously or in excess. Some of these diet pills cause nervousness, listlessness, insomnia, high blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases, nausea, hair loss, blurred vision, urinary tract infections, hallucinations or, even worse, death.

The bottom line here is that it is important to keep in mind that any medication taken orally or is injected, whether prescription or over-the-counter, might cause adverse effects to a patient or dieter.

Another way of dangerously loosing weight is by means of taking laxatives. The use of laxatives to control or lose weight is not only dangerous but also irrational. A person taking large amounts of laxative is only releasing the water weight from his or her body thus the observed weight loss. Eventually, the body will be able to gain back the weight. Continued use of laxatives often result to bloating, cramping of the muscles, dehydration, electrolyte imbalance and even heart attack. On the other hand, taking in diuretics can give the same effects.

In loosing weight effectively, it is important to take note that a dieter should not solely rely on pills and other ways to achieve weight loss. The safest but hardest way to lose weight- proper diet and exercise- is the best thing to do if you want to lose weight without sacrificing your health.