AMMAN — Slimming medicines, especially herbal ones, have become very popular, especially with the amount of advertisements that market them as a magic wand that will turn the wishes for an ideal figure into reality, but what many do not know is that these drugs can cause many risks, sometimes even death.
Pharmacist Rawan Abdel Salam confirms that many people promote herbal mixtures and medicines that are used to lose weight for financial profit without thinking about the patient's interest and health, and without any awareness of the dangers of these herbs and pills that may reach death, which we hear about from time to time.
She points out – in statements to Al Jazeera Net – that the safest way that should not be dispensed with, to obtain a healthy and ideal strength, is to ensure a healthy nutrition pattern and drink water in abundance, and exercise, with continuous walking, in addition to following healthy habits that gradually turn into a routine of life.
What are the harms of slimming drugs?
Slimming drugs cause many side effects, according to pharmacist Rawan, including diarrhea, bleeding, digestive problems, blurred vision, in addition to heart problems.
She added that these products are often promoted without knowing their source and content, as slimming drugs have been seized that block appetite and make people feel full, containing "Sibutramine", a drug that has been withdrawn and internationally banned, and these drugs work on neurotransmitters in the digestive system, and reduce the absorption of dopamine, which controls behaviors and brain sensation, and it also causes its users sudden strokes, and an increased risk of heart attacks.
What are these drugs made of?
Pharmacist Rawan explains that slimming drugs in general stimulate a feeling of fullness and satiety, but at the same time they contain some substances that may be classified as harmful and have a negative effect long or short term according to the type of material used.
She added that it is noticeable that most of these drugs are not licensed by health authorities such as the US Food and Drug Administration, and according to many studies, they affect the kidneys, stomach and nervous system, and some cause tension and nervousness, so it is not possible to take any substance of any kind without consulting the specialist doctor and the responsible pharmacist.
The groups most affected by the use of herbs and slimming medicines
Pharmacist Rawan stresses that the danger of these pills and herbs increases in those who suffer from heart disease and high blood pressure, and makes them vulnerable to rapid death, and the risk may reach healthy people with high blood pressure and heart disease.
She indicated that the danger in slimming and slimming drugs - which depend in the way they work on caffeine and diuretics - lies in the fact that they make the body vulnerable to dehydration, and they also raise the levels of the hormone cortisone responsible for anxiety in the body, which makes its users suffer from insomnia, high heart rate, and ultimately affect the immune system.
What is the danger of herbal mixtures that perfumers prepare for weight loss?
For her part, pharmacist Bayan Al-Masry confirms that some perfumers prepare mixtures without taking into account several important things, such as the active and ineffective substances in this herb, and this is due to their lack of understanding of the composition of the herb.
She warned the Egyptian – in statements to Al Jazeera Net – from the use of such mixtures, and warned of the need to take advice and medical advice from the specialist doctor, to avoid any complications from the use of such recipes and mixtures.
She pointed out that the use of these herbal mixtures may lead to stomach ulcers, nausea and digestive problems. She warned of toxic interactions if taken with other drugs.
Al-Masri explains that there are several factors that make herbal mixtures a source of danger, the most important of which are poor storage, lack of consideration of humidity factors and exposure to sunlight and heat, which greatly affect the effectiveness of the mixture and the cohesion of the active substances it contains, and provide the appropriate environment for the growth of types of fungi, bacteria and parasites.
She talked about the difficulty of verifying the safety of the herbal mixture from any impurities that may eventually turn into poison.
The pharmacist called for consulting a doctor before using herbs, especially if it is related to those suffering from chronic diseases, in addition to consulting the pharmacist about whether there are drug interactions between the herbs and the medicines they take.