Eventually a decision to do something about the excess weight must be made and those that are serious about it will finally realize that you cannot use short term methods.

Weight reduction should be approached as a long term proposition especially when you consider it takes considerable time to become overweight so the use of weight loss drugs should be used with caution.

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.

These weight loss pills have become popular and you can almost guarantee that you will know of someone who has tried them with success. The idea that a simple drug can change your body shape without the need to change the diet or sacrificing those pleasures in life can be very tempting.

As a consequence, drug companies spend millions of dollars in research on weight loss drugs while consumers spend even more buying the pills.

Despite the advances in weight control pills there are still health problems, some of which people are sickness and diarrhea. 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.

The side effects vary depending on the lifestyle and health of the person and can be minimized as long as one consults the doctor first before buying them; it should be noted that if one stops using the drugs, the side effects will not necessarily cease.

The side effects experienced by users of weight loss pills can include noticeable mood swings, hyper-activity, stomach pains, insomnia, nightmares, severe irritability, extreme fatigue, depression, nausea, vomiting and trembling.

Many clinical tests will show that the weight loss drugs taken to reduce weight really work but this can only be done in conjunction with a low calorie diet and an exercise plan. A low calorie diet would consist of meals that contain vitamins, minerals and fiber which are all essential for good health; the best sources are fruit and vegetables.

Of course this should always be combined with a good exercise routine which will use up excess calories and provide a good all round fitness workout. A good exercise plan with the use of weights and a weight loss burning supplement will help boost the body's ability to burn off the calories and maintain a healthy heart.