...was opening themselves up to serious health problems

We seem to be giving you quite a lot of these warnings recently, but the fact is the problem is growing and some people just require to be reminded about how dangerous it is to buy fake slimming products online. In Hong Kong recently the health authorities issued a warning to people living there to stay well away from any online diet drugs after they were found to consist of thyroid tissues from animals. This makes them potentially extremely dangerous to health, as they interfere with hormones to upset the natural metabolic rhythm and have even been known to cause heart failure.

The slimming pills were also found to be laced with controlled drugs that are not permitted to be sold except with a prescription such as sibutramine which is the key ingredient in the weight loss medication Reductil. Reductil is a very respected weight loss medicine in that it should only be given out after a doctor’s consultation and after a prescription has been issued. Abuse of the Reductil medication is extremely dangerous and it should be taken very carefully.

The Hong Kong medical authorities have not released the names of the diet drug brands but did say that as a result of people using these fake medications 4 females ended up in hospital suffering from extreme heart palpitations, stress and anxiety as well as uncontrollable trembling.  All of the women have now recovered since they stopped using the fake drugs but doctors warn that should they have continued using them they could have ended up seriously ill. 

Mr. Henry Ng, the head of the health department in Hong Kong said that anyone buying weight loss medication from dubious and untrustworthy sources was opening themselves up to serious health problems and that anything that came without a doctor’s prescription should be avoided.