Types of Diet Pills

There are basically two types of diet pills available:-

1. Pills the affect your appetite by either suppressing or decreasing it, and
2. Pills that reduce the amount of fat absorbed by your body.

Lets go into these different types of diet pills in more detail.

Appetite Suppressants

Appetite suppressants work by tricking the brain into thinking you are not hungry. They disrupt the transmission of signals from the neurotransmitters in your brain. The result is that you don't feel hungry, you feel full and so you eat less.

Arguably Phentermine is the most popular prescription diet pill on the market. Sold under the brand names of Adipex, Ionamin, and also as generic Phentermine HCL, Phentermine accounts for almost half the total current Appetite Suppressant prescription sales. Perhaps the most compelling reason is its cheaper price in relation to other FDA approved diet pills.

Meridia, the brand name for Sibutramine, is a neurotransmitter reuptake inhibitor that suppresses appetite by inhibiting the reuptake of certain hormones. It therefore helps to increase the levels of these hormones that control appetite and hunger in the brain. It is the first "selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor" (SSRI) to be used for the specific use of weight loss.

There are also non-prescription diet pills available that use natural substances to suppress the appetite, the most well known of these is currently Hoodia Gordonii.

Stimulants

Stimulants are known as anorectic or anorexigenic drugs. Tenuate is a common form of prescription stimulate. Similar to Phentermine, this drug stimulates the central nervous system, increasing heart rate and blood pressure and decreasing your appetite. These diet pills are used as a short-term obesity treatment and should be combined with a calorie controlled diet and exercise program.

Fat Blockers

Unlike Appetite Suppressants or Stimulants, fat blockers work in the digestive system by blocking the absorption of fat from the food as it is being digested. This undigested fat is then eliminated from the body and so, less fat absorbed means less weight gained. Xenical is a common prescription fat blocker and, when used in conjunction with a reduced calorie diet, can not only reduce weight gain, but also assist in weight loss.