Diet Pills and Heart Problems

It has recently been found that these diet pills, even if taken years ago, could have caused thickening of the heart valves in some people. In most cases the thickening is mild and does not cause any health problems. In a few people this valve thickening can prevent the heart valves from closing properly (known medically as mitral or aortic incompetence). If you think you may have taken either of these diet pills, it is important that you read this post.

How can I tell if I took Ponderax or Adifax?

Ponderax and Adifax are diet pills that work by reducing the appetite. They were only available on a doctor’s prescription. Ponderax was marketed from 1966 to September 1997, Adifax from 1993 to September 1997. Neither medicine is now available. The following table contains more information to help you decide whether or not you have taken Ponderax or Adifax.
Ponderax tablets Ponderax Pacaps Adifax capsules
Active ingredient Fenfluramine 20mg Fenfluramine 60mg Dexfenfluramine 15mg
Appearance Blister pack containing pale blue, rounded tablets with a shiny surface Blister pack containing capsules that were half blue and half clear, with tiny white beads inside Blister pack containing white capsules
Usual dose One tablet three times a day One capsule daily One capsule in the morning and one in the evening

Most of the diet pills available over the years have had a stimulant effect, which kept you awake. However, Ponderax and Adifax often caused drowsiness. If you have taken diet pills and you are not sure whether they were Ponderax or Adifax, your pharmacist or doctor may be able to help.

Do all diet pills cause heart valve abnormalities?

There are a number of other diet pills available in New Zealand, but only Ponderax and Adifax have been associated with heart valve problems.

What is my risk of developing a heart valve abnormality?

About 1 to 4% of normal, healthy people have a mild abnormality of the heart valves. From the limited information available, it appears that patients treated with Ponderax or Adifax for less than three months are not at any greater risk of heart valve abnormalities. However, those treated for 3 months or more (even if it was many years ago), do have an increased risk. From what is known, the risk of a serious problem is extremely low for most people. It is thought that the longer a person took Ponderax or Adifax, the higher their risk may be. In most cases the abnormality is mild, and has no effect on the person’s health.

What should I do if I have taken diet pills?

You do not need to see your doctor if you took Ponderax or Adifax for less than 3 months, or if you took other diet pills. If you are concerned, talk with your doctor at your next visit and ask for your heart to be examined.

If you have taken Ponderax or Adifax for 3 months or more, you will need to see your doctor to discuss the risks and for a heart examination. You do not need to make a special appointment to see your doctor straight away, but you should discuss this with your doctor at your next visit. However, if you have any worrying symptoms, such as breathlessness, palpitations (rapid or irregular heart beat) or ankle swelling, you should see your doctor straight away.

Your doctor has been given information about the risks of valve abnormalities and will know what to do. Here is what you can expect to happen:

* The doctor will examine you for signs of heart problems. If any signs are found you will be referred to a cardiologist (heart specialist) for more tests.
* The cardiologist will arrange a special test, called an echocardiogram, to examine your heart valves in detail. An echocardiogram involves bouncing sound waves off your heart, similar to the ultrasound examination used routinely on pregnant women.
* The cardiologist will then be able to tell you if you have any valve abnormality and whether there are any precautions you need to take, such as taking antibiotics before dental and surgical procedures.

Should I be taking any special precautions?

People with thickened heart valves may need to take antibiotics before some types of dental and surgical procedures because they are at risk of developing an infection on the valve in the heart. If you have been examined and your doctor has found no evidence of a heart murmur or valve damage, you are at no higher risk of valve damage from infection than any other person. You do not need to take any special precautions.

If you need dental or other surgery and have not yet seen your doctor for a heart check, you will need to tell your dentist or surgeon that you took these diet pills. Your dentist or surgeon will know what to do.

ACC cover

It is possible that ACC will contribute to the cost of your visit to the doctor and perhaps also to further specialist treatment. Your doctor will give you an ACC claim form which will be sent to ACC for consideration.

More information on valvular abnormalities with dexfenfluramine and fenfluramine check with your health care professional.

No distractions no excuses

Everyday I hear a ton of excuses why someone can't do a particular exercise.As a good coach I listen to my clients complaints no matter how silly they may sound and then I evaluate if the complaint is valid or it's just simply whinnying. Believe it or not one of the reason why we don't play music in our gym or allow our clients to wear personal music devices is because it is very important for any coach to observe each client carefully and every client must listen to his or her coaches instructions carefully.

Hence, if there are no distractions there are no excuses! I posted this video so everyone can watch it and hopefully the next time you feel compelled to whine you'll remember the video and keep working on those burpee's.

That's all I have to say about that..

See you in the gym

There are no short cuts

On any given day turn your TV on and at one point or another you'll see an infomercial for some kind of gadget or work out program that promises you a six pack in 90 days. Haven't you noticed that the people featured on these infomercials with the impressive abs and the before and after pictures are all skinny to begin with? Have you ever seen a real overweight person on those infomercials? I got to tell you and I know that those of you that know me will probably laugh at what I'm going to say but the only person who has the balls to show real overweight people in his infomercials is Richard Simmons!

Call him what you want make fun of his "Deal a meal" or "Sweating to the oldies" video but Richard has always shown real people with real weight and health issues on his shows and infomercials and you know what? I really believe the guy cares about the people he helps. OK, get back on your chair I haven't gone soft on you I'll still kick your ass in the gym but the truth is the truth. We Americans have grown up in an instant coffee culture everything that you need is a drive through window away.

It all started with TV dinners in the 50's then came Sanka followed by my favorite orange tasting powder in the 70's Tang. Everyone is always looking for the short cut, the magic pill to weight loss. Why?, because it's easy, who the hell wants to sacrifice and work hard? Unfortunately, although some of these things may work they are rarely permanent. A true permanent change comes from hard work, dedication and a life style change. One for sure way to fail at your effort to lose weight and improve your health is to treat it as a temporary thing.

Even those of you who are interested in putting on some muscle and not weight loss still have to make a permanent change. Another road to failure is to go on a diet( I hate the word diet)reach your goal and then return to "eating normal". Eating normal is what got you in trouble in the first place. Short term and temporary just don't cut the mustard (no pun intended) for permanent weight loss and a healthier body. Too many people set themselves up for failure when the commence a diet and/or exercise program because it's always a temporary fix. Have I gotten my point across yet? OK, lets move on. Another pitfall is falling into the fat burner or pill trap. Again, haven't you noticed that the people on the fat burner commercials are a bit out of shape or they are skinny fat people?

After a few weeks on the magic fat burner they lose fat and get the coveted six pack. The problem here is that the "normal person" purchasing the fat burners are usually 30-50 pounds overweight! After a few weeks on the fat burners the "normal" people don't get much results (if any) and return to, you guessed it, "eating normal". There's one particularly popular over the counter weight lose pill called Alli. If anyone reading this has used it you'll know what I'm about to say . On the label of this magic pill, it suggests that the user carry with him or her an extra pair of dark pants and underwear! What?, yep that was my reaction too. So what this new wonder pill's manufacturer is saying in plain English is that using the product may cause you to shit in your pants..NICE!

Now don't get me going on the doctor prescribed diet pills. These suckers are really dangerous. You will lose weight alright but you'll also lose muscle mass and then you'll begin to look like a skinny fat person (more on that on another post). Oh, and I forgot, did I mention that these pills have a tendency to do some damage to your heart? Are we so desperate to lose weight that we are willing to shit on ourselves and possibly mess our hearts up? I hope not. In conclusion, there are no short cuts guys in order to make a permanent and healthy life style change it will take hard work and dedication. Did I mention hard work?

That's all I have to say about that..
See you in the gym..