are diet pills bad for 14 years olds?

Question

just to make things clear, i'm not the one taking them.. i would never be that desperate... but my friend is, and i want her to stop. but i have no idea what diet pills do to 14 year olds...

please give me the grusome details. the more disturbing the better.
:)

Answer 1

DO NOT TAKE DIET PILLS! They are dangerous!!

Last year I was visiting my parents and took diet pills (Leptopril -does not contain ephedra) on top on my exercise routine and normal diet. I was 26 at the time, 5'11, 180 lbs. By week three I was sick. I had diarrhea, dry heaves, dizziness, headaches, and a general feeling of being sick. I thought I had caught the flu or something. I had lost 13 lbs in 4 days. One morning I told my mom I didn't feel good. My vision kept blacking out and I felt (for lack of a better way to say it) stoned. Later that afternoon I was walking from the bathroom to my bedroom (a 5 foot walk) and I passed out. I was rushed to the hospital emergency where they did a bunch of tests on me.

My pulse was up to 120, My blood pressure was 150/40, they had to start me on an IV, the did an EKG on me, took blood and urine samples, and a whole barrage of other tests.

They finally got me stabilized and said that I was dehydrated and malnutritioned. I told him that I took diet pills. When I mentioned diet pill, the doctors face lit up and said that's why. He said they can cause a whole bunch of health problems, including death. He told me to toss the diet pills or next time I might not be so lucky.

I was kept in the hospital for almost 10 hours, given 3 or 4 IVs, potassium, juices, and monitored (by the EKG, blood pressure, and heart rate machines) every 15 minutes.

Please take my story as a warning. If you seriously want to loose weight there are better ways (I know because I've lost weight after this)

The quickest way is to cut out red meats, starches, breads, sugars, alcohol, and sodas.

Eat veggies (salads are good), soups, and drink TONS of water. If you get hungry between a meal, drink water to fill up.

In moderation eat white meats, and fruits (fruits contain natural sugars, and that can put on weight)

Practice portion control. Yes, you'll feel hungry at first, but think of your goal, and soon your stomach will start shrinking and you won't have that feeling anymore.

Eat 5 times a day. A small breakfast. A mid-morning snack, such as an apple. A small lunch. A mid-afternoon snack, such as carrots. A lite dinner. Do not eat any later than 7pm (6pm is better.)

Go exercise for at least an hour a day, incorporating weight training. Weight training builds muscle. Muscle burns fat. You get the idea. It also gives tone and definition. Also do a few yoga and pilates exercises to help tone those hard to reach and stubborn areas.

Answer 2

Well, considering that she is 14, she is still growing and her body needs massive nutrients. If she starts taking diet pills, she will deprive her body of nutrients, however he body will take it from other less important areas, like her hair, skin, teeth, so on.

So, if she wants to be balding, toothless and crappy skin, tell her to continue on....

If she wants to loose weight, here are some better ideas:

Get with her doctor for a weight loss plan.

Walk 30 mins twice a day.

Eat several small meals a day as compared to 3 larges ones. These meals should consist of veggies first, meats next starches last.

Stay away from soda at all costs.

I have never used diet pills, and have managed to loose 20 lbs in a month doing the above!

Oh, yeah, and diet pills are horribly addictive...as they are speed...and they can forever screw up your heart.

You are a good friend. I hope she listens to you, but in the event she doesn't you might want to discuss it with your parents...maybe they will talk to her parents and get this young lady to a doctor. This may be a budding eating disorder, which can eventuall ruin, or end, her life.

Answer 3

She shouldn't even have access to them, first of all.
Second, they ARE addictive and as soon as she stops taking them she's going to lose all of her energy and start gaining weight again.
Third, they can mess with her heart, potassium levels, make her depressed, give her anxiety problems, fainting spells even death...I could go on and on. Sometimes they don't even put ALL the ingredients on the label because diet pills aren't controlled by the FDA. That right there should be warning enough not to mess with something the FDA can't monitor. For all she knows she could be eating sawdust, rat droppings and adrenaline. You never really know. Just do a search on side effects of diet pills.
Finally, at 14, putting something as toxic as diet pills into your system can be really bad. When my best friend was 13 she started taking Mini-thins (an old diet pill). We had to carry her off the playground a couple of times because she'd faint if she had to run or anything. We should have told a teacher or her mother right then, but she asked us not to. She was up to eating 5 pills at a time, at least 3 times a day when finally we told our teacher. It seems that after time, the one pill wasn't giving her energy anymore so she started upping her dose. She's lucky she didn't die. Your friend could die if she doesn't get help. At 14 you really don't want to mess with weight loss pills.
ETA: Don't listen to gorgeous. That's quite possibly the stupidest thing I've heard today. A 14 year old should NOT be taking diet pills and anyone who says any differently needs their head checked. You're a great friend for wanting to help someone who really does need it.

Answer 4

Why is everyone concered about there weight? I was concered badly one time, And I
Got skinny and it wasn't really fun so I put on a extra few pounds. Your weight is what
god wanted you to be, and if you don't like it, then you don't like what god gave you.
You should be happy god gave you a life.

But!, If you really wanna loose weight heres what you do. swimming season is coming
up and I know your really scared people will laugh at you.

- with every meal drink Water or Orange juice, Milk sometimes (Milk is very fattening).

- If you are bored and you think about eating and you think your hungry don't eat
Because you are really not hungry your just thinking about it. So try to do some sit ups
or push ups instead. Or do what you like to do.

- If you have junk food in your house, then get it all out. Because if you don't have
Junk food in your house, Guess what, You want be ABLE to eat it.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Let's say you eat alot of junk food, and you stop eating it. You will drop 15 pounds
easy.WHEN YOU SEE A CANDY, THINK OF A HOT GIRL/GUY IN A BATHING SUIT AND THINK WHO
YOU WANT MORE.

- Get some Fruits in your house loaded, and eat those when you are hungry but try
Drinking Lots of water too.

- Exercises -

1.) Punch air - Makes your arm look non-fat.
2.) Running/walking - Good for you also burns what you ate in the past 24 hours.
3.) Biking - Burns the most calories and fun. just ride around fast for 10 - 20 minutes
straight.
4.) Swimming burns the same and more as biking, because your using your whole body, You
can loose 5 pounds by swimming for 2 hours doing fast laps.
5.) Weight lifting - Light weights make your muscles the same and get the fat off you
also you look better. Heavy weights - Builds muscles like body builders.

P.S. click this link below to see how much Calories you burn each workout :
http://www.prevention.com/caloriecalc/0,5719,s1-4-121-48-1158-1,00.html

Answer 5

Deit pills are bad for most people.

If you are concerned about your friend and wont listen to you, go to an adult you trust - parents, her parents, school counselor, someone who can help her out.

I know it may feel like you wont be seen as trustworthy anymore, but some secrets are not meant to be kept. She could be doing damage to her health and she needs help, whether she admits it or not.

Answer 6

diet pills are not good for anyone under the age of 18 b/c you are still growing. it could affect your health, growth, and may even cause death. don't let her take them.

Answer 7

Yes, they are. They would probably malnurouish her and inhibit her growth. You never know if they would make her look anorexicly skinny either. I hope that she will stop.

Answer 8

diet pills are sorta like steroids. they give you energy to burn fat. just like steroids, obviouslly, theyre bad for you. tell your friend to seek help for their problem.