A few months ago there was a thread about one of these diet aids. The posters said it worked for them. There are so many variations on the name at my pharmacy that I can’t remember which you had success with. They’re probably all the same – but even if it’s only the placebo effect and it works, I’m willing to try.
Which is the correct diet supplement?
Thanks!
Metabolife contains ephedrine. From Metabolife.com:
But then, if you look around, you find:
I hate crap like this. They emphasize the natural herbal content while the active ingredient (ephedrine) is a fairly dangerous drug (albeit found in some natural sources, but that really doesn’t matter). Buy some snake oil instead. You will come to no harm and at least be a little lighter (in the wallet:))
For a critical view of diet pills containing ephedrine, see this link
No, they’re not all the same. Metabolife is currently, IIRC, involved in a civil action lawsuit due to the ephedra in their diet “supplements”… the OTC stuff you see called “Metabolift” or “Metabolite” most likely has more ephedra than Metabolife did in the first place.
The two herbs combined in these supplements are Guarana and Ma Haung (ephedrine) - both are heavy duty stimulants, Guarana is extremely high in caffiene (something like 7x as much as coffee) and has a narcotic effect it also increases blood flow and stimulates the heart - Ma Haung is also a stimulant (similar to adrenaline), as well as a vasoconstrictor. This is what, IIRC, causes the heart issues.
Here’s the kicker - the stuff is great for a myriad of troubles, but on the other hand, it’ll make you absolutely bananas. Guarana is addictive, just like any other form of caffiene, and when I took the stuff in '99 the effect it had one me was:
constant jitters/flushed skin
irritability
irritability
irritability
Oh, hey, did I mention irritability? I have never felt so close to down right violent… I was taking Metabolite, which is nearly all guarana and ma haung. I’d take one in the morning and by 3 pm that day I was still a jittering fool.
Because a product contains herbs and claims to be “natural” does not mean it’s safer… in fact, I’d say it’s more dangerous because most OTC buyers trust that “herbal” = ok and buy the product without researching what’s in it… I can tell you five essential oils (another sore spot with me, essential oils are so dangerous in the wrong hands) that sound “safe” off the top of my head that could potentially cause a miscarriage (peppermint,basil, anise, cederwood, clary sage, clove), I can give you two herbs (blue cohash, pennyroyal) that if eaten will do the same = all have emmenagogue properties which means they can cause uterine contractions.
I really, really strongly urge you to go to http://www.howstuffworks.com and head for the health and nutrition section and read everything they have on diets, etc. If you want to lose weight, plan to make an overall lifestyle change -don’t fall for the quick fix diet thing - most diets “work,” but it’s not going to work forever and this stuff will just make you miserable on top of it while endangering your health. I know the urge to kick start things is really strong… but don’t fall for it. You set yourself up for failure by getting that quick drop in weight, then having a small gainback or plateau (sp?) and getting discouraged.
And don’t believe what you read on posters or see on commercials. Take “slim fast” for example… the diet plan? eat a shake for breakfast, one for lunch and a “sensible dinner” - breakfast is the most important meal of your day after 12 or more hours of no food and sleep, and you get a puny shake… then by the time 10 am rolls around, you’re starving hungry (your body knows it got gypped!) and by noon you get… a shake… by the time dinner rolls around, do you think anyone is going to eat a “sensible dinner”? And if they do, how long will they last following the thing to the letter before they go berserk (as much as they can with no energy) and binge? Not to mention that your body needs a certian amount of fat, etc. to function properly.
/soapbox
A couple books for you:
Nutrition for Dummies (don’t mind the title, the book is good)
The Little Herb Encyclopedia (Jack Ritchason)
The Complete Illustrated Herbal (David Hoffman) -it’s put out by B&N and like, 10$.
and again, the http://www.howstuffworks.com…
Oh, before I forget… one supplement, chromium picolonate, can be helpful in helping your body convert fat to muscle. However, like all herbs, there’s always a catch… if you’re not actively working out while taking it, it can work against you.
Good luck!
Meg
btw, please excuse my inability to decipher the number “5” from “6”… 
Ingredients for metabolife, sans measuements:
metabolift:
(this is the one I was taking that is much higher in guarana and mahaung than metabolife)
Metabolift, as you can see, should by all means send you into orbit.
There’s also now an “ephedra free” Metabolift 120… I’d skip it too, twinlabs doesn’t strike me as the most ethical group out there, as evidenced by the problems with Ephedra and the dosages up above.
Metabolite:
again, remember that if you’re not working out actively, chromium can work against you.
Hydroxyctric acid: http://www.tnp.com/substance.asp?ID=136
Gymnema sylvestre: http://www.healthwell.com/healthnotes/Herb/Gymnema.cfm?path=print
Meg
Wow, Megaira, welcome to the boards! Your wealth of knowledge and resources on herbal health is impressive. Plus, you’re the first other person here who knows about essential oils. I would love to see more of your contributions here.
There’s one herb (actually, a fruit) I’ve been experimenting with that’s supposed to help you to slim down. Garcinia cambogia. I’m not sure about it yet, but one thing I can tell you is it does not produce dramatic sudden effects. I’m thinking that used consistently over time (a month or so) it can produce modest results. But I would like to know more about how it can reduce fat in the system. It’s fortunately quite safe, unlike those jittery herbs (ephedra, yuck, I hate that feeling). It’s not speedy, you don’t notice anything at first, but I think I’m slimmer now than when I started it.
Wow, thank you! 
Lifelong dream: be the old herby witchwoman in the woods… y’know, the type that makes chewed bark and spit poltices at the drop of a hat.
This is the above mentioned hydroxcitric acid or HCA that’s in the Metabolite.
Here’s another link: http://www.geocities.com/nutriflip/Naturopathy/Garcinia.html
On one hand, it says it has not been proven to do anything regarding weight loss, yet, on the other it says:
Question: what have you changed in your general lifestyle since you started taking it? Is it possible that your body is reflecting this? The Garcinia Cambogia (who comes up with these names??) is definitely not going to hurt you…if I read some of the info right, it does help the body produce insulin, which might be good for diabetics - but I’d also be sure to research this, especially if you’ve had problems with low blood sugar.
This part is darned neat:
So, you might not necessarily lose weight because of it, but you’ll be the first person picked to go get that escaped pet monkey out of the tree!
¦D
Meg
Argh… I didn’t pay attention to the ubb code… sorry about the entire bold message…that had to be loverly on the eyes.
Yipe!
Meg
Meg, after a few coding slips, we all learn to preview posts with code in them.
I haven’t changed anything else in my diet or lifestyle over the past year. But after starting the Garcinia cambogia I noticed I can get into a tight pair of pants more easily than I could before.
The Garcinia genus includes the mangosteen, an incredibly delicious tropical fruit I used to enjoy when I lived in Malaysia. Too bad it’s nonexistent here.
You can bewitch me with your herbal potions any time.
Lesson learned… now watch me screw this one up. 
Cool!
Apparantly (this from about.com) you can get them in chinese markets when they’re in season…? If you really like them, it might be worth looking around and making a trip (especially if you can freeze them and get a bunch at once). I see they sell them canned as well - so maybe you can get some imported?
¦D whoo hoo! My first customer!
The best I got in herbal potions at the moment (hey, I’m a witchywoman in training, I’ve got like 50 years before I can get my wart) is fresh mint tea…but if you want a body lotion bar or lip balm…
Meg
Meg,
Slip some Damiana into that and I’m yours forever.
While we’re discussing the downsides/dangers of dietary supplements, I thought I’d quote this warning from the April issue of Natural Health magazine:
“The FDA is warning consumers not to purchase dietary supplements that contain tiratricol, also known as triiodothyroaceatic acid or TRIAC, a potent thyroid hormone that may increase your risk of heart attacks and strokes…Products containing TRIAC include Triax Metabolic Accelerator, Tricana Metabolic Hormone Analogue, Tria-Cutz, and Sci-Fi-Tri-Cuts.”
Apparently, products containing this hormone have been recalled, but it may still be out there.
Sheesh… it baffles me on so many levels the things that make their way into dietary “supplements” (can I call them Dietary Detriments? it makes so much better sense to me). Who the hell THINKS of this stuff?
“hmmm, well, we need a new quick fix diet drug to peddle to the unsuspecting masses”
“well, hey… let’s try that thyroid hormone!”
“ooo! I must say, good IDEA!”
LOL… alrighty sweetie-pie, but I must warn you, it’s not only an aphrodisiac, it’s also a laxative.
Meg
Well, I guess the OP is answered pretty well, but I wanted to say, “Hey Meg!” It’s good to see an intelligent, articulate witchywoman here, being off the same ilk myownself. And, a David Hoffman proponent to boot! Hoffman came for a weekend last month and taught a medicinal herb class I’m attending. He’s an amazing teacher; the best at putting together traditional methods and current scientific research.
Welcome to the SDMB, Meg. I look forward to your contributions!
:: shuffles feet, turns red::
::grins sheepishly::
thanks! Nice to meet another herb-nerd!
Meg
Thanks to everyone! I returned Metabolife to Rite-Aid today (seal unbroken) and received a refund.
Awesome!!! Money back in the pocket is a beautiful thing.
Meg