The Effects of Energy Pills

Energy pills are often sought out as a way to help cope with little or no sleep or to assist in losing weight quickly. These pills use a combination of caffeine, vitamins and herbs to help you rapidly achieve physical goals or to successfully combat sleep for a short amount of time.

Positive Effects

• Very often the effect of a dose of energy pills is to provide the same amount of energy as several cups of coffee. The herbs in the energy pills can speed up your metabolism, allowing you to lose weight easier. Another effect of energy pills is they can help muscles gain in mass quickly in addition to your normal weight workout. Students and adults also use the pills to keep them awake when they do not have the time required to sleep. When taken according to instructions, energy pills can effectively keep you awake for extended periods of time.

Negative Effects

• Use of energy pills, especially over a long period of time, can sometimes lead to negative side effects. Energy pills contain a large amount of caffeine that can cause your heart rate to rise quickly and in some cases stay at elevated levels that can be dangerous. The elevated heart rate caused by the energy pills can lead to heart attack or stroke. Signs of heart trouble caused by energy pills include elevated pulse, difficulty breathing, nausea, and dizziness. Anyone using energy pills and experiencing these adverse side effects should immediately consult a doctor.

Health Benefits

• Taking energy pills at a low dosage on a regular basis can provide a needed energy boost throughout the day. The positive effects of energy pills are often long-lasting, allowing you to only take a minimum amount of the pills to achieve positive effects, especially when taking the pills over an extended period of time. Energy pills also can assist in boosting your metabolism, allowing you to lose weight at a faster rate than with exercise and diet alone.

Health Risks

• There are many health risks associated with the frequent, prolonged use of energy pills including heart attack, stroke, breathing problems, and the possibility of caffeine poisoning. Other health risks include arterial damage and headaches. The risks associated with the use of energy pills are easily avoidable by taking only the recommended dosage of the product and not combining the use of energy pills with other caffeine-based substances such as coffee, energy drinks or sodas that can interact with the ingredients in the energy pills to heighten health risks.

Ephedrine

• For several years the Food and Drug Administration made the manufacturing and distribution of energy pills containing the drug ephedrine illegal in the United States. Ephedrine was believed to be the cause behind many heart-related deaths suffered by users of energy pills. More recently the FDA has begun to allow companies to resume production of ephedrine-related energy products using a lower dosage of the drug.