Understanding the Difference between Prescription Drugs, OTC Drugs, Herbal Dietary Supplements and Nutraceuticals

With approximately one third of the adult US population being obese and more than one third being overweight, obesity and overweight are growing health problems in the United States.

Whilst the purpose of different weight loss products is the same – that is – to help you lose weight, the mechanism of action of these products is different. From prescription drugs to over the counter medicines to herbal dietary supplements to nutraceuticals, there are a number of weight loss products available in the market. As more and more people are turning to these products for weight loss problems, billions of dollars are spent on these products, safe adipex online.

         So, what is the difference between a prescription drug and OTC medicine? Let’s figure it out!

As the name suggests, a prescription drug is a medicine that cannot be bought without a written order or prescription from a physician or a medical practitioner. Over the counter drugs, on the other hand are drugs that can be purchased without a prescription from a certified medical practitioner. A majority of population turns towards OTC medicines because they can either not afford prescription medications or because they think it is a hassle to get a prescription from a doctor.

Following is a list of some differences between Prescription drugs and over the counter medicines.

Basic Differences between Prescription Diet Pills and OTC Diet Pills

• AVAILABILITY - OTC medicines are fairly easy to purchase since they can easily be purchased from grocery stores, health food stores and online stores. Prescription diet pills on the other hand cannot be bought without a prescription.

• SIDE EFFECTS –OTC diet pills are not monitored by the FDA, therefore you never know if you are following proper usage and dosage guidelines. Prescription drugs on the other hand are strictly monitored by the FDA in order to ensure their safety and efficacy.

Common side effects associated with OTC pills include nausea, dizziness, vomiting, hypertension, seizures, kidney damage, strokes, and heart attack.
Common side effects associate with prescription drugs include hypertension, dizziness, and increased heart rate.

• PRICE – Prescription drugs are often expensive than OTC diet pills which is why most people lean towards OTC diet pills

 
Herbal Dietary Supplements and Nutraceuticals constitute another popular category of weight loss products used for weight loss. Let’s figure out what these products are;

Difference between Nutraceuticals and Herbal Dietary Supplements

The used of herbal dietary supplements is nothing new. These products have been used for medicinal purposes for hundreds of years. Herbal supplements therefore are not subject to strict regulations and scrutiny as medications, adipex without prescription. These supplements are believed to help weight loss by different mechanisms like increasing fat oxidation, blocking dietary fat absorption, increasing satiety levels and through modulating the metabolism of carbohydrates.

Whilst the FDA des regulate these supplements as foods, these are not regulated as drugs. These regulations provide assurance that these supplements meet certain quality standards and FDA can interfere to remove dangerous products from the market.
Nutraceuticals is a relatively new category of supplements used for weight loss. The term nutraceuticals was introduced about a decade ago by Stephan DeFelice as “a substance that may be considered a food or part of food and provides medicinal or health benefits including the prevention and treatment of disease.”

The bottom line is – there are diet pills and supplements available in the market; that are relatively safe to consume and their benefits outweigh their negative attributes. On the whole if the safety and efficacy of diet pills is taken into account, OTC diet pills and herbal supplements seem to have more side effects than prescription diet pills given the fact that there is no serious research that could support the weight loss claims made by OTC medicines.