JEDDAH — An increasing number of young women are consuming slimming pills to avoid having to exercise to lose weight without being aware of their potentially harmful side effects, said users of these products and nutritionists. They said the health complications of consuming pills without any medical prescription could be permanent. Eman Al-Thary, a public relations manager, said she had a “horrific” experience with slimming pills. She said: “It is true that I lost a lot of weight within a few months, but the health complications outweighed my initial problems. “The worst thing about it is that you would not experience the negative side effects until you stop taking the pills. “I lost my appetite, became anxious and felt depressed for a while. “These pills can be very addictive to girls because it helps them lose weight with no effort.” Al-Thary added that she would advise girls to maintain a proper diet rather than take any of these products. “Just stay away from sweets and starch and exercise as often as you can. “The problem is that these pills are mostly consumed by impressionable and young teenage girls. “They even take it without a medical prescription and behind their parents' backs. You would not see an adult woman consuming them without a medical prescription.” Marwa Abdulrahman Hajjar, who has seen her friends affected by these pills, said these products could make you lose 2 kg in two weeks and that is the main selling point to their consumers. She said: “In reality, these pills dehydrate the body and affect the digestive system by tricking the brain into thinking that the stomach is full. “I personally never use pills without a medical prescription. “Those who use these slimming pills rather than exercise are just too lazy and want the work done without any effort. “There are also those girls who go to the gym to meet others and socialize in cafes rather than actually exercise.” Lama Qarqanawi believed obesity in Saudi Arabia was due to excessive eating and would never use pills to lose weight. She said: “Thankfully I never had to use any of these pills as I never had any problem with my weight. I prefer to follow a regular healthy diet and exercise regularly. “I would urge any girl to maintain her weight the natural way rather than referring to harmful chemicals.” Rahma Al-Karbi said she heard about these slimming pills from her friends. She only takes them with a medical prescription as she knows about their dangerous side effects. She said: “I searched online for slimming products once and I found some pills. “Before taking them I sent them to be examined in a lab and they turned out to be fatal for patients with asthma, but there is no warning on the packaging for that.” Nutritionist Dr. Salem Al-Ghanim said slimming products come in forms other than pills. She said: “There are herbal pills such as Phytoshape, which works on constricting the appetite. “These pills work by using laxatives such as the Senna plant to eject the food out of the body and shrink the stomach. “There are also Merit pills, which come from East Asia and contain the strong laxative Anthraquinone as well as extremely harmful chemicals, such as arsenic and lead. “Slimming products can also be liquids such as slimming teas and they are very harmful if consumed for a very long time. They contain laxatives, which eject waste as well as useful minerals from the body. “In turn, these weaken the important organs and muscles in the body such as the heart and pancreas, putting users at risk of contracting diabetes.”
