How to Recognize Diet Pill Abuse

Substance abuse plagues millions of Americans each year. It is somewhat difficult to identify the specific criterion for substance abuse. Health care professionals may differ somewhat in their evaluations of one given individual. It is therefore critical that each individual be trained to recognize Diet Pill Abuse. I abused diet pills between the ages of nineteen and twenty-two. The effects and damage of the abuse were serious.

Instructions

Assess Your Motivations for Taking Diet Pills

• 1

  Determine why you take diet pills. It is impossible for you to recognize whether or not you are abusing diet pills if you do not even know why you take them. Unfortunately, some people have taken diet pills for many years. Their history of this substance intake is so long, that they have actually begun to view their abusive behavior as normal. You must first determine why you take diet pills. Do you want to lose weight? Do you want to maintain your weight? Do you want to support your eating disorder by curbing your appetite?

• 2

  Decide if your motivations call for short or long-term diet pill intake. If you started taking diet pills to lose weight, then your use of diet pills should have been short-term. If, however, you took or currently take diet pills to maintain your weight, constantly curb your appetite or to support your eating disorder; your motivations call for the use of long-term diet pill use.

• 3

  Elect to Seek Help---either immediately or within the near future---if you have determined that your history of or plans for diet pill use are long-term. While I do not publicly endorse or disapprove of the short-term use of diet pills (since I am not a medical health professional), I do consider the long-term use of any substance without a prescription as grounds for possible abuse. If you have been or may currently be abusing diet pills, you must seek help. The results of any substance abuse, including that of diet pills, can be fatal.

Assess Your History of Diet Pill Use

• 4

  Determine how long you have been taking diet pills. Have you used them on and off for several years? Have you been using them for more than one month? Did you continue to use them after achieving your weight loss goal (if that is why you took them)?

• 5

  Determine if you have previously or could ever completely stop taking diet pills and still be comfortable. If someone told you today that you could never take diet pills ever again, would you be ok? Or would you panic? Be honest with yourself. Have you ever gone without diet pills for a long period of time? Have you experienced adverse side effects, but still continued to take diet pills? I used to experience rapid heart beat during a time when I overused diet pills. I kept taking them anyways, despite my serious concerns.

• 6

  Elect to Seek Help---either immediately or within the near future---if you determine that you have been taking diet pills for a short or long period of time and are unsure if you could ever stop taking them. This means that you might have a substance dependence or addiction, and will need medical and psychological treatment.

Make an Appointment With Your Primary Care Physician

• 7

  Call your primary care physician and tell your doctor, nurse or receptionist that you would like to make an appointment to discuss your use of non-prescription diet pills. Do this, regardless of whether or not you have determined that your history of or plans for diet pill use are short or long-term.

• 8

  Tell your health care provider about your history of and current use of diet pills. Since you already know why you take diet pills, whether or not you plan to use them for a short or long period of time and whether or not you could live without them, you will have a wealth of helpful information for your medical doctor.

• 9

  Follow any directions that your medical health care provider gives you. If your health care provider determines that you have a situation that involves abuse, addiction or dependency, he or she may recommend that you start a treatment plan immediately. Conversely, your doctor may give you other instructions of a less dramatic nature. It is also possible that your doctor may not be concerned about your use of diet pills. Follow whatever directions your doctor gives you. Years ago, my doctor had concerns about my heart and told me to immediately discontinue the use of diet pills. I did. It might have saved my life.