The side effects listed for HCG are Users may report incidences of headaches, blood clots, restlessness, leg cramps,constipation, temporary hair thinning, depression and male breast enlargement*.
Please take note that they say "users may report" These side effects don't happen to everyone. In fact out of the several people that I know that have used HCG, none of us have had any side effects other than occasional fatigue and maybe headaches at times. I would attribute my headaches to not drinking enough water. I will say that while on HCG I feel better than I do when I am eating junk food, and the fatigue I feel is only temporary and relative to the change my body is trying to make.
Let's take a look at some of the side effects that go along with the drugs the FDA does approve:
For Ambien (a common prescribed sleep aid):
Seek medical attention right away if any of these SEVERE side effects occur when using Ambien:Diarrhea; dizziness; drowsiness (including daytime drowsiness); "drugged" feeling; dry mouth; headache; nausea; nose or throat irritation; sluggishness; stomach upset; weakness.
Severe allergic reactions (rash; hives; itching; difficulty breathing; tightness in the chest; swelling of the hands, legs, mouth, face, lips, eyes, throat, or tongue; throat closing; unusual hoarseness); abnormal thinking; behavior changes; chest pain; confusion; decreased coordination; difficulty swallowing or breathing; fainting; fast or irregular heartbeat; hallucinations; memory problems (eg, memory loss); mental or mood changes (eg, aggression, agitation, anxiety); new or worsening depression; severe dizziness; shortness of breath; suicidal thoughts or actions; vision changes.
This is not a complete list of all side effects that may occur
Prednisone: Most often it is prescribed to treat an allergic reaction, certain skin diseases, asthma attacksand severe arthritis.
More Frequent Effects
- Increased appetite: You eat too much and too regularly
- Indigestion: This could be defined as an imperfect or incomplete digestion, usually accompanied by symptoms like: pain, nausea and vomiting, acid regurgitation, heartburn, belching and accumulation of gas.
- Nervousness or restlessness: A condition of unrest and of irritability. You are very irritable and find it difficult to sit in one place
Less Common Or Rare Effects
- Changes in pigmentation: Your skin becomes lighter or darker than its normal shade.
- Dizziness or lightheadedness: Also known as Vertigo, this is a condition in which a person feels a loss of balance and dizziness, as if his or her surrounding is moving, rotating or oscillating. This can cause nausea and disability.
- Redness of the face or cheeks: A sudden rush of blood to the face causing instant redness and heat.
- Hiccups: This is an unexpected spasmodic contraction of your diaphragm, which causes a beginning of inspiration that is suddenly checked by a closure of the glottis, thus causing a characteristic sound.
- Increased sweating: You sweat profusely and uncontrollably
- Feeling of spin: You feel like you are spinning around.
Consult your doctor immediately if any of the side effects listed below occur:
Less Common Ones
Less Common Ones
- Decreased or blurred vision: a decrease in visual acuity, [which] may be the result of errors of refraction or ocular disease.
- Frequent urination: Going to the toilet one to many times with a few minutes.
- Increased thirst: You develop an insatiable need to always ingest fluids.
Rare Effects
- Confusion: incoherence of thought causing abnormal behavior.
- Depression: A mood characterized by dejection, psychomotor hypo-activity, thoughts of hopelessness and guilt.
- Excitement: An exciting or being excited; agitation
- Hallucinations: False sensory perception characterized by a lack of external stimulus.
- False sense of being important or ill-treatment
- Mood swings (sudden and wide): Oscillation from depression to elation, as seen in cyclothymic personality or, in a more extreme degree, in alternation between manic and depressive stages of manic-depressive psychosis.
- Rash or hives: Transient ender red or bluish firm papules or nodules that occur during non-eruptive febrile diseases.
Other Precautions Or Warnings
Diabetes: Prednisone causes a rise in blood sugar (glucose in the blood), therefore, hyperglycemia can occur, glucose tolerance may be modified and diabetes mellitus may be aggravated. People with diabetes should carefully monitor their blood sugar and report any abnormalities to their doctor.
Electrolytes: Large doses of prednisone are not compatible with electrolytes. You may have to reduce salt and potassium supplements intake.
Fertility: In some men, corticosteroids such as prednisone may increase or decrease motility and number of sperm.
Fungal infections: This medication may worsen internal fungal infections and therefore you should not take it if you have such an infection.
Infection: This medication may mask some signs of infection, and new infections may occur during treatment with prednisone.
Osteoporosis: The prolonged use of prednisone may increase the risk of osteoporosis (brittle bones).
Inform all doctors you see that you are taking prednisone. The physician should closely monitor the growth and development of infants and children receiving long-term treatment with prednisone.*
WOW! How fun was that reading the list of possible side effects. And look at how many people suffer from skin reactions, athsma, and arthritis, and they are still willing to look beyond the side effects and prescribe it for people. Need I go on?
The only FDA approved diet pill that I know of is Alli, which if you are willing to put up with the likely and potential side effect of crapping yourself anywhere and anytime if you eat too much fat during a meal, and it works for you, then go for it. I am all for finding the right diet that works for you. For some it is the strict "Eat right and exercise" diet, awesome. For others, we need more guidelines and less options, so we have to go for a program (I feel HCG is more of a program than a diet, because of the rules, the options, the timelines, etc, it isn't just a pill you take and then go eat). Overall, my best recommendation is to make a plan, stick to it, and find one that involves you eating REAL FOOD, not premade meals, shakes, bars, etc. I say this because you will not be on this diet forever, so what are you to do when you are done with the diet, regardless of reaching your goal weight, have you learned to cook for yourself a healthy meal? Have you learned to order healthfully when you go to restaurant? What choice do you make when the shake or the meal supplement is not available to you? These are things you are going to have to face when you are in the real world.
So overall what I am saying is that, I feel the FDA has a different agenda and it doesn't appear to be having people's well being in mind.
I am now on hopefully what will be my last round of HCG, I have been on it for a week and have lost 11lbs. I have not been fatigued (not crazy energetic though), no headaches (drinking more water this time), and I only get really hungry when it is close to time to eat. I eat meals that fill my whole plate, lettuce with dressing (mustard, lemon juice and stevia), 6 jumbo shrimp cooked with water and seasoning, 6 strawberries, or 1/2 cucumber, 1 orange, and 3oz tilapia cooked in water with lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper, and dill. All very yummy and very filling meals. The rest of the day I don't really think about eating. As long as I prepare my lunch in the morning before I leave the house, I don't feel like I have to worry about what I am going to eat. If I go out with friends I can get coffee or tea to drink, and eat later or if the restaurant has grilled chicken breast and lettuce, I usually make my own dressing with the mustard, lemon, and stevia. So there are ways to getting around going out to eat. You have to be diligent and know that it is only temporary you will be eating so little. It also reminds me of the importance of a balanced meal and has taught me how to eat fruits and veggies regularly.
I have 30 more lbs to lose, I have already lost 60, which has taken me over 1 year to do. Sure I could have lost more by now if I did longer rounds in the past or if I just stuck to a 1-2lb week weight-loss program, however the benefit of this diet is the immediate results you see, and the fact that it resets your hypothalamus in your brain to know that you are stabilized that that weight, so you can eat regular foods and splurge (occasionally), with minimal consequence. There are also correction days you can do to reset back to your stabilization weight for those times when you do over do it. Even though I could be farther along in my weight-loss journey than I am now, I look back on it and am still proud of the accomplishments I have made. I also look at all the mess ups, the over-doing it, and the short rounds as learning experiences to know my mind and my body and how far I can push myself. I do not feel like a failure for taking a year longer to lose the weight I could have lost sooner. I feel I have succeeded for maintaining my weight (within 10lbs), for this long and not gaining back more than that. Overall it means I am staying cognitive about my body and the foods I put into it. I see the consequences of going rogue and not thinking and doing whatever I want, but I also see that I can get myself back in check.
So, with all that being said, my stats are: R? (5or6) P2D7 Weight 175.6. This first week I have lost 11lbs but all of that was gained during my Christmas splurging, so now I am on the road to losing weight, not re-losing weight. Goal is 145. I don't have any expectations of how much per day I will lose, and right now I am not even really counting the days to P3, which is making it easier to just use the scale as a guide and not just counting down the days to the next time I can eat bacon. :)
