The Top 4 Energy Pills You Should Avoid

What types of energy pills should you try and avoid? Large doses of caffeine, unprescribed stimulants, and non-FDA-approved pills just to name a few. The area surrounding energy and weight loss pills is a vast landscape of miracle solutions, misleading claims, and false promises. It’s important to be able to see through the fog and know which brands are legitimate and which kinds of not — especially if they’re harmful. Let’s take a look at the top 4 kinds of energy and weight loss pills you should avoid. 

What do energy pills do?

The purpose of an energy pill is to deliver a form of stimulant into the body that promotes energy, focus, and increased concentration. But what is a stimulant? A stimulant is any ingested substance that supercharges a bodily function — the nervous system and brain more specifically than other body parts. Stimulants boost a variety of body functions including alertness, concentration, overall mood and behavior, motor skills, and can also decrease your appetite. Some stimulants include caffeine, nicotine, and even vitamin B12 injections. 

What is in them?

Pills and tablets that offer large amounts of energy can have many different types of stimulants inside of them, depending upon the brand and type. “All-natural” and “organic” do not mean that a pill is what they say they are. Some common ingredients in energy pills include caffeine, Vitamins B6 and B12, and amphetamines — all depending on the purpose for energy and condition. It’s important to seek nutrition counseling to see what kinds are best for you and your body.

Which ones should you avoid? 

There are many “miracle pills” and fast-acting weight loss solutions that should be avoided. Let’s look at 4 of the biggest kinds you should avoid. 

• Unapproved FDA Pills: There are many weight loss pills that, at one point in time, seemed to be a promising solution as diet supplements; however, more trials disproved them. Whether these pills increase the risk of cancers, heart problems, or even death, they should never be taken: Belviq, Qnexa, and Dinitrophenol are a few of the weight loss “solutions” that are banned by the FDA. It’s important to know about safe appetite suppressants. 

• Large doses of caffeine: An average person can manage around 200 to 400 milligrams of caffeine (an average cup of coffee has about 70-100 milligrams of caffeine per cup). However, drinking a cup of coffee every couple of hours allows the caffeine to dissipate and adjust to your body. By ingesting an energy pill with a dose of 200 milligrams or more, you are introducing a large amount of caffeine into your body with a single dose. 

• Unapproved foreign pills – Ephedrine, and the “miracle” Brazillian and Japanese weight loss/ energy pills should be avoided at all costs. They are labeled and marketed very well but can have dire consequences to the body. 

• Unprescribed Adderall: Popular among students in academic settings, Adderall is a popular alternative for instant focus and concentration. However, there are many negatives to taking unprescribed Adderall including depression, anxiety, and increased heart rate. 

Hopefully, now you know which energy pills you should and should not be taking. If you have any more questions or want more information about this topic, contact the medical experts at RCMC Medical (909-945-9982) today.