Exterior is increasingly valued as a "fertile ground" for weight loss drugs of unknown origin. Behind the advertisements "losing 5-10kg in just a few days" are serious health risks, which can even lead to death.
Doctor Vo Xuan Trieu - plastic surgery, reconstruction and cosmetic surgery specialist at AVA Van Lang Hospital said that during his work, the doctor has encountered many cases of customers who wanted to improve their figure, so they used rapid weight loss drugs of unknown origin and left serious consequences.
As a surgeon, I have had to postpone or refuse many surgeries because customers previously used toxic weight loss drugs that led to electrolyte disorders, albumin loss, liver and kidney damage that the patient did not know, or even blood clotting function was affected, causing complications during surgery, Dr. Xuan Trieu recalled.
Currently, many products are being sold on the market under the labels of "alcoholic" and "natural detox", but the information is unclear about the ingredients or deliberately hiding harmful active ingredients. Some cases even recorded incorrect ingredients to avoid the inspection agency. Among them, there can be many harmful substances such as sibutramine, a banned substance in many countries due to causing high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke. Or it may contain phenolphthalein, a substance used in laxatives, which has been banned due to its risk of causing cancer.
According to Dr. Xuan Trieu, some products promise to lose 510 kg in a few days, but most of them are diuretic drugs or laxatives that cause dehydration, electrolyte disorders and acute kidney failure. People who are likely to be at risk if they accept toxic weight loss drugs include: people with cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, young people, lack of knowledge, attracted by advertisements for "rapid weight loss" and especially postpartum women, breastfeeding.
Weight loss is a legitimate need for everyone, especially women, but proper weight loss requires perseverance and a scientific strategy, cannot "burn the cycle" with drugs that promise rapid weight loss but of unknown origin. No weight loss drug is truly safe without a prescription and close supervision by a doctor.
Start with safe and effective weight loss measures such as controlling a reasonable diet and regularly exercising your body. If necessary, weight loss drugs can be used to support but must be strictly followed and supervised by a doctor to achieve the same effect as limiting unwanted effects. If there is a need for cosmetic intervention, it should be done by a reputable facility to limit the risk during the weight loss intervention.
