Ads for diet pills are everywhere -- on TV and the radio, in magazines and newspapers, even on the Internet. They entice you with heartfelt testimonials, unbelievable before-and-after pictures and the inevitable money-back guarantees. All you have to do is run out and purchase the latest, hottest, this-one-has-got-to-work weight loss miracle in a bottle!

Not so fast. Get the facts before you fall for these marketing ploys.

There are many reasons to proceed with extreme caution when using diet pills. While it's true that sometimes you may actually lose a little weight with them, the pounds return once you stop taking the product. Most of these weight loss quick fixes include a small-print recommendation that you also adopt a lower-calorie diet and an exercise program -- which is going to help you lose weight anyway. And supplements generally aren't well regulated, so the actual content of the active ingredients in diet pills can vary widely from product to product.

Even more worrisome, all diet pills have potentially dangerous side effects. Everyone knows that people who take prescription medications need to check with their physicians before using any type of weight loss supplement. But even healthy people who aren't taking any other meds have experienced negative health effects from diet pills. The bottom line: Always check with your physician before you take anything that promises to "melt off the weight."