Would you risk your life to be thin?

As reports reveal one in three slimmers has suffered unpleasant or life-threatening side effects from fake diet pills, Closer looks at the dangers of a ‘quick-fix’

Polly Smith* P has been left with a constant reminder of her desperation to lose weight, after counterfeit diet pills left her with a lifelong and agonising stomach condition. Now, the retail merchandiser is calling for the tablets to be made illegal so nobody else suffers the same fate.

Polly, 22, who lives in Salisbury with her partner, Tom*, 24, and her two children, aged four and three, says, “I’d always had issues with my weight, but had never considered slimming pills until an advert popped up on my Facebook feed. The tablets claimed to be celebrity- endorsed and were just £2.99 for two months’ supply, so I ordered some.

SHOULD BE BANNED

“But after four days, I was in insufferable pain, coughing up blood and now have an ongoing stomach condition. Diet pills that are unsafe should be made illegal. They cost me my health and if I’d taken them for longer, they could have killed me.”

Polly isn’t the only person to suffer horrific side-effects from illegal slimming pills. Research from the UK medicines watchdog warns that one in three slimmers has suffered unpleasant or life-threatening side effects from dodgy diet pills – and in the past four years, police have seized £4m worth of unsafe weight-loss tablets from online dealers.

Last week, it was also revealed that TV presenter Scarlett Moffatt – who had claimed to have lost weight through her fitness DVD regime – had actually been taking pills to aid her 3st 5lbs weight loss. Leaked texts she sent to a friend said, “Popping pills and I lost 0.4 of a pound” and “Had me in tears yesterday, forcing me to take these tablets that were giving me heart palpitations”. Her spokesperson said, “Scarlett never knowingly took diet pills.”

DANGERS

And doctors say slimmers are still unaware of the dangers.

GP and clinical director of Patient.info, Dr Sarah Jarvis, says, “Most diet pills are versions of amphetamines – which speed up the metabolism and burn you up from the inside. They often contain the dangerous chemical DNP, which speeds up the metabolism to a dangerously fast level. A number of people have died because of this, but the high demand for quick weight loss means that online dealers keep on selling them.

“Slimmers should focus on healthy eating and exercise if they want to lose weight. It may take longer, but it’s much safer and you’re more likely to keep off the weight.”

Like many people who turn to diet pills, Polly had struggled

with her weight for a long time.

She says, “I first realised I was bigger than other children my age when I was nine, after a girl at school called me fat. It was only puppy fat, but I was gutted and I began dieting and making myself sick after meals to slim down.

“My friends and family didn’t notice, so I continued to do it. By the time I was 16, in 2011, I weighed around 9st 5lbs and, at 5ft 4, was a size 8-10. But even though I didn’t look fat, I was still unhappy with my appearance and was determined to lose more weight.” In October that year, Polly began looking at alternative ways to slim. She says, “I saw an advert for diet pills on Facebook. They had good reviews, so I bought 60 – enough to last me two months.” Polly received her order a week later and started taking them straight away. She says, “The pills smelt overwhelmingly like rotten fish and the ingredients were not listed, but I took one anyway because I was so keen to lose weight.”

However, within just 30 minutes, Polly began getting stomach cramps and started feeling very hot.

She says, “Initially, I put it down to my body not being used to the tablets. But after taking them for four days, the cramps and hot flushes became unbearable and I could barely walk without being sick.”

Even though she then stopped taking them, Polly’s condition worsened.

UNBEARABLE

She says, “I felt shaky, had terrible migraines and began vomiting blood. I’ve never felt so ill in my life. Eventually, after two weeks, I went to my GP, and a week later I was admitted to hospital.

“When I showed the doctors what I’d been taking, they said they were surprised my body hadn’t completely shut down, as diet pills can seriously damage organs such as the kidneys and liver. They prescribed me Omeprazole to control the amount of acid produced in my stomach. However, I’ve been left with a condition called gastroesophageal reflux disease – which I could have for the rest of my life. It leaves me in great pain and sometimes it’s so bad I can’t get out of bed, but I feel lucky to be alive. I’d never touch diet pills again.”

❛I FELT SHAKY, HAD TERRIBLE MIGRAINES AND BEGAN VOMITING BLOOD❜