I just heard this on the news tonight. I know, I know, Byz and another weight thread but this really shocked me. Women using crank or meth to loose weight. Yeah, I should have figured this out but I never really speculated about WHY women used this particular drug.
I’m not saying this is the only reason women use this drug but man, this is a really, really bad reason. Just about as bad as taking up smoking to loose weight. Every time I hear or see or read a story like this I cry. Really. I cry for these women who will do ANYTHING to be skinny. Even kill themselves. I wish I could grab each of these women, give them a big hug and tell them, “I like you just the way you are.”
Does anyone else feel this way? Did you see this story or something similar that really shocked you? Or do you just want me to shut the hell up about weight issues already?
Yes, Byz. I feel the same way.
No, I don’t actually cry when I hear about it, but I sure do cringe.
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on a lighter (no pun intended) note:
Who was that Hispanic comedian who said,
“I’m really, really trying to lose weight but nothing I do makes any difference. I’ve tried everything short of diet and exercise.”
TennHippie– boy, it’s a good thing you’re cute! Cute guys get away with just about anything!
It really did surprise me. These were women who did not use drugs until they found out that crank was “good” for weight loss. I have a feeling that is why the drug is so big here in Utah. I just thought it was sad and wanted to share.
Crank (methamphetamine) was actually prescribed as an appetite supressent in years gone by. The abuse potential was so great that it is no longer commonly used to treat anything anymore.
Sadly enough it is an exellent appetite supressent (for a limited duration) and is unparelled as an antidepressent. On the down side, it causes heart attacks and with chronic use, a condition clinicly indistingushable from scizophrenia. Oh, and some users report being addicted from the first dose.
This reminds me of a friend of mine who smokes cigaretts to keep her weight down.
She knows the obvious dangers but is afraid she will gain weight if she stops…
A less dangerous but similar action can be found in ephidrine and pseudoephidrine, common ingredients in asthma medicine and over-the-counter “trucker’s speed.” Appetite-suppressing and very stimulating…and you can definitely get strung out on them. The difference is, the tremors and anxiety get really bad long before you get a lethal dose, so they are not real pleasant to abuse.
Tenn – a friend of mine suggested the herbal form of that to take for weight loss. She was taking it in the pills called Metabolife. I looked it up and just about shit my pants. I’d no more take that then I’d shove a wasp up my nose!
I know I’m all over the board with various issues regarding weight, self-image, diet… but I would never suggest such aids. Really, IMHO, the very best you can do is exercise and eat right. Drugs (including herbs) of any kind can be dangerous and should be only used in the most serious of cases and definitely under a doctor’s care.
It just makes me very sad that desperation runs so deep. I feel the same way about people who are compelled to commit suicide. Something, inside them, hurts so much they see that as the only option; it isn’t.
Metabolife contains ephedrine. In case anyone is considering it in any of it’s forms, here’s the straight dope.
Ephedrine is derived from the ephedra plant. It is also known as Ma Huang and has been used in China for medicinal purposes for thousands of years. Ephedrine is metabolized to norephedrine, which is responsible for the central nervous system stimulating effects of the drug.
It belongs to the monoaminergic group which consists of an amine molecule containing one amino group (NH2). Examples of other monoamines include: Serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine (noradrenaline), and epinephrine (adrenaline).
Ephedrine can cause stroke,high blood pressure, and heart problems. It is particularly dangerous to people who have high blood pressure. The FDA reports nausea, irregular heart beats, insomnia, nervousness and disorientation as adverse effects of ephadrine. According to Food Labeling News, CRC Press, Inc., September 28, 1995, reported that Nature’s Nutrition Formula One was associated with hyperactivity, diarrhea, dizziness, disorientation, numbness, anxiety, chest pains, breathing difficulty, heart palpitations, irregular heartbeat, hypertension, depression, headaches, and insomnia. Three instances of death were associated and several involved heart attacks, seizures and strokes
Also, note that using ephedrine isn’t THAT bad. Look up any drug and you’ll see a laundry list of side effects like that. They happen, but they’re very rare.
It’s not until you upgrade to the Extra Strength that the bad stuff becomes more commonplace.
It’s kinda similar to the way that the Indians of South and Central America used the coca leaf for thousands of years without becoming addicted. It wasn’t until the Europeans came and extracted and concentrated cocaine from coca leaves that it became dangerous and addictive drug we know today.
puffington – yes, almost anything in moderation (save for things like, oh, heroin) are probably okay. But I know how people are. They think if one is good than two or three are better… it can get very dangerous very fast.
For some reason there seems to be a mentality (not you or anyone in particular) that herbal remedies are safer because they are natural. I think that is a very dangerous and sometimes deadly assumption. For myself, I wouldn’t take anything that I wasn’t very, very sure about. Even then I’d discuss it with my doctor. Or out here…
After reading what I did about Ma Huang I decided that it just wasn’t for me. I get enough of a kick from my morning coffee. And yes, I drink a lot less of that after reading about caffeine!
I had a friend who used all of those natural diet aids. Despite the fact that she is starting her doctoral studies in biology this fall, she still believes that the “fat burning” pills that she takes are a safe, effective way to lose weight. So what if they make her a cranky, jittery mess, she looks GOOD!
Correct me if I’m wrong, but are there any medicines or herbs that can literally “burn” fat? It seems like all of the weight loss remedies I’ve seen are either appetite suppressants (I guess the speedy jitters to burn some calories) or block the absorbtion of fat (not, IMO, the same thing as burning fat). Is there really a miracle pill that magically melts away the fat? Not that I’d take one if there was, sorry but the side effects are just too scary for me.
I forgot something. I’m not sure (being a person of very little science), but I think that my same friend has pretty much stopped her natural metabolism. She eats about 1200 calories a day, works full time, then goes and works out for an hour or two each day. How could a person be that active and survive on so little calories? She is actually planning on only gaining 15 pounds when she gets pregnant! (For those of you who don’t know, they generally want you to gain about 25-30 lbs, less if you’re overweight.) I fear for her hypothetical unborn child.
I can’t eat with her, because she’s always giving me nasty looks when I order, and actually eat, something high calorie.
tatertot – there is no magic fat burning pill. Most of these drugs just hype you up. They do not contribute to burning fat, mainly, they suppress your appetite so that you eat less. The theory goes that this will cause your body to burn more fat. Not necessarily.
You have to train your body to burn more fat than it normally does. Just sitting around your muscles get about 60-70% of their energy from fatty acids. The rest is from glucose or sugar. The only way to kick in more fat burning is to go the aerobic way. But even then, it takes time to “retrain” your muscles. For the most part, they will just burn more glucose. Once that is burned up they then start burning more fat. It’s a lot more complex than I’m making sound but that’s just about the gist of it.
Metabolism is highly complex. Each of us handles calories differently. You can “train” your body to survive on a lot or a little. Severely limiting your calorie intake will set your body into a “starvation” mode. It will slow down metabolic activity. That is probably why your friend is the way she is. If she were to start eating more it would be awhile before her body would adapt.
But 1200 may not be too little depending on her size yadda yadda yadda. Again, everyone is different. I eat around 2000. But I’m tall and very active.
As for the pregnancy thing… I think she’s fooling herself or she just doesn’t understand that pregnancy isn’t the time to diet.
When I need to lose weight, I just eat a fresh salad…that I’ve prepared on the board I used to cut up the raw chicken. Salmonella helps you lose weight quickly from both ends.