When weight gain strikes, ISU health officials warn that over-the-counter diet pills have more negative effects than benefits.

According to an ISU survey of student health completed last spring, 3 percent of students surveyed reported using diet pills to lose weight, said Lauri Dusselier, health promotions supervisor at the ISU Wellness Center. The ISU survey did not differentiate between prescription and nonprescription pills.

The results of an American Medical Association study showed 7 percent of the 15,000 people polled currently were using at least one over-the-counter weight-loss product.

Greg Yeakel, chief staff pharmacist at the Student Health Center pharmacy, said students should always be careful when using over-the-counter weight loss pills.

“We don’t stock the over-the-counter pills here at the Health Center pharmacy,” he said. “There are more dangers than benefits associated with them.”

Some of those dangers, Yeakel said, include possible increases in blood pressure and heart rate, and the function of neurotransmitters in the brain also can be affected by some of the pills.

And the pills may not be effective.

“Without a combination of proper diet and exercise, the pills’ results are temporary at best,” Yeakel said.

The Wellness Center also discourages the use of diet pills.

“Our office encourages a healthy lifestyle,” Dusselier said. “There are exercise specialists, nutritionists and stress management counselors here. We recommend eating a variety of foods and moderate exercise.”

Before taking any new medications, it is important to consult a physician, Dusselier said.

In the AMA study, conducted by random-digit telephone dialing, 28 percent of respondents who were young, obese women said they use at least one of the diet drugs. Respondents reported using dietary supplements containing the stimulant ephedra, also known as ma-huang.

Another common supplement reported in the AMA survey was herbal fen-phen, which was recalled by the Food and Drug Administration after it was linked to heart damage in 1997. Survey respondents also reported using phenylpropanolamine, marked under brand names such as Dexatrim and Acutrim, which the FDA said increases the risk of hemorrhagic stroke.

Dieting is not a quick process, said Doug Lewis, associate professor of food science and human nutrition.

“It takes a lot of time to get the fat off, and it takes a lot of work,” he said. “But you don’t put on the weight overnight, either.”