Will Hoodia Affect My Birth Control?

I am on birth control pills and I am thinking about taking hoodia as an appetite suppressant. Will hoodia diet pills decrease the effectiveness of my birth control pills? -Courtney

Courtney:

Hoodia diet pills will have absolutely no affect on your birth control. The hoodia gordonii plant contains a molecule called P57. This molecule tricks the brain into thinking you are full. Given how hoodia works, it has no affect on birth control pills. Hoodia diet pills have also been proven to be very safe with virtually no side effects so far. I say “so far” because hoodia diet pills have only been availabe on a mass scale since 2004. We still don’t know what the long-term hoodia side effects are since it hasn’t been around that long.

Don’t let that scare you too much, however, as the hoodia gordonii plant has been used for centuries to stave off hunger. The main thing you want to make sure of when you take hoodia diet pills is that they contain authentic hoodia gordonii. Unfortunately, the majority of the hoodia supplements on the market today are fake - meaning they contain very little, if any, hoodia gordonii. Many are also loaded with a variety of unnecessary ingredients. All you want in a diet pill when it comes to hoodia is 100% authentic hoodia gordonii with no other ingredients.

You can check out my hoodia recommendations where I review three brands of hoodia that I know contain 100% authentic hoodia gordonii. I’m sure there are others out there that are real, but these are the only three that I am aware of at this time. If you are considering other brands that I don’t recommend, that doesn’t necessarily mean they aren’t real. Just be sure to do your homework before you buy! If you need help determing if the brand you are considering is real, read my article about what to look for when you buy hoodia. I outline the 13 things to look for to ensure that what you are buying is real.

I hope this helps!

Travis

My answer as it originally appeared on Yahoo! Answers