Is the "Skinny Medicine" reliable? Reveal the truth about Internet celebrity diet pills

"Gain three pounds every festive season"
.
During the "Eleventh" long holiday, many people secretly gained weight
.
On the online platform, all kinds of diet pills and slimming injections that make people "thin" are highly sought after and are
popular again.

On the video platform, someone shared the weight loss experience
of "losing five pounds with one needle".
On the e-commerce website, the tempting advertising slogan of "lose 30 pounds in January" has formed a strong visual impact
.

Is the weight loss "miracle drug" of "lying down to lose weight" reliable? Experts said that if you want to lose weight or maintain weight for a long time, if it is not supplemented by physical exercise and diet adjustment, the effect of relying solely on drugs to lose weight is not good, and as long as the drug is stopped, it will rebound
.
Failure to follow the doctor's advice may also cause adverse reactions and even risk
of disease.

"Weight loss magic needle" is a hypoglycemic drug

Online mark-up for sale

Recently, "weight loss god needle" semeglutide injection became popular on the Internet, and many accounts released "personal experience of weight loss", claiming that the drug "loses five pounds with one injection" and "you can lose weight once a week, lie down to lose weight!" ”

Can prescription drugs be used for weight loss? Where do I buy it? On social platforms, many netizens "guided" the drug purchase platform
of an e-commerce website.
The reporter logged on to the e-commerce platform to inquire about semeglutide injection and found that the price of drugs with specifications of 1.
5 ml (1.
34 mg / ml) ranged from
650 yuan to nearly 800 yuan.
According to the Measures for the Administration of Internet Diagnosis and Treatment (Trial Implementation), online prescriptions must be issued with an electronic signature of a physician and reviewed by pharmacists
.
As a prescription drug, online purchase of semeglutide injection is no exception
.
The reporter randomly opened the consultation page of a pharmacy on the platform, expressed his desire to buy the drug, and asked whether he needed to prescribe it to buy the drug
.
The customer service said that the prescription can be issued
by providing the name, gender, age, ID number, contact information, and number of drugs purchased.

After the reporter provided the relevant information, within 3 minutes, the customer service sent back the electronic prescription picture
.
The prescribing doctors and auditors are all there, and the diagnosis is "diabetes"
.
Without being asked about any physical symptoms, the reporter was allowed to buy the medicine
after prescribing it.

"Semeglutide injection is actually a hypoglycemic drug, and people without the corresponding indications
will not get a prescription in a regular hospital.
" Yu Xiaojia, pharmacist in charge of the Pharmacy Department of Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, introduced that the indications approved by the drug in China are glycemic control in adult patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (on the basis of diet control and exercise, adult patients with type 2 diabetes who receive metformin and/or sulfonylurea drugs and still have poor blood sugar control); Indicated to reduce the risk of
major cardiovascular adverse events (cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction or nonfatal stroke) in adults with type 2 diabetes with cardiovascular disease.
The price of 1.
5 ml (1.
34 mg/ml) of semeglutide injection in public hospitals is 478 yuan, and the "hand price" is lower after the patient is reimbursed by local medical insurance
.

So, does the so-called "Internet red miracle medicine" really have the miracle effect of "losing 5 pounds with one needle"? Yu Xiaojia explained that semeglutide injection is a long-acting glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA), which can reduce blood sugar by stimulating insulin secretion and reducing glucagon secretion and other mechanisms, and also has the effect of slowing down gastric emptying and suppressing appetite, which can achieve the effect of
weight loss.
But it is not effective for everyone, "especially some beauty seekers with a small weight base, a considerable proportion of injections are not obvious or have no effect, and many people have not lost
a pound for several months.
" In addition, this drug has many side effects, the most common is nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, constipation, bloating, indigestion, etc.
, "Many people will have more severe gastrointestinal reactions and cannot tolerate
the drug.
" Yu Xiaojia explained
.

The adverse reactions of the drug also include acute pancreatitis, acute gallbladder disease, acute kidney injury and other risks, "We once received a young man who used the drug to reduce blood sugar and lose weight suddenly pancreatitis hospitalized
.
Yu Xiaojia said
.

"Weight loss regret pills" are not for everyone

Someone drains oil and does not lose weight is still embarrassing

Ms.
Xu, 28, is 1.
68 meters tall and weighs nearly 130 pounds
.
Recently, she moved to lose weight, jumped exercises, ran, exercised for 1 month, and her weight did not move, which made her very depressed
.
On social platforms, she learned about a "miracle drug" known as "weight loss regret medicine" - orlistat
.

"Before using it, I still researched it for a while
.
" Ms.
Xu learned that orlistat is a weight loss drug that can change fat digestion and can be marketed
as an over-the-counter drug.
"I am a 'Carb Mercury person' who can't quit sweets and heavy tastes, and I heard that I can lose weight
without dieting after taking this medicine.
In addition, I heard that it has no side effects, I think it should be beneficial and harmless if you eat it! ”

For more than half a month, Ms.
Xu took orlistat from time to time, "After eating hot pot or greasy, I will take one
.
" "However, it backfired, not only did she not lose weight, but she also had a lot of troubles
.
" One day, I ate pork knuckle at night, felt so guilty that I decided to take an orlistat
.
According to the rules, there was no response that day, and the next morning I got up to work, got up and found a large pool of oil stains on my pants and chair! Maybe the pork knuckle was too greasy, and then I drained the oil for two days in a row, which was too embarrassing! In the end, Ms.
Xu decided to stop the drug, and her "identification results": oil drainage, useful; Weight loss, not necessarily
.

Is Ms.
Xu's experience of using orlistat universal? Yu Xiaojia said that orlistat is suitable for adults who are obese and overweight (BMI≥24).

In other words, people with a BMI (body mass index) below 24 are not included in
the indications.
"When the clinical trial started, this part of the population was not included, and there was no evidence-based medical evidence
for the effect.
That said, it is not suitable for people who 'strive for perfection' in their body to use
on their own.
"In addition, the instructions for the drug state that taking the drug needs to be accompanied by moderate dietary control
.

"Although you can buy and use it yourself, it doesn't mean it's suitable for everyone, so don't follow
suit.
" Yu Xiaojia said that orlistat has a certain control effect on blood sugar, blood lipids, and blood pressure, and is safe for long-term use, but as an over-the-counter drug, it is not without
side effects.
Orlistat is a long-acting and potent specific gastrointestinal lipase inhibitor, the main effect of which is to "let a part of the oil go in and out"
.
This also makes it possible to cause gastrointestinal adverse effects: fecal gas, fecal urgency, steatorrhea, increased stool frequency and even fecal incontinence
.
This medication also reduces the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) and β-carotene, so patients are advised to take a multivitamin at bedtime or supplement with vitamins A, D, E, K, and β-carotene before or 2 hours after orlistat
.
Yu Xiaojia also reminded: there have been reports of serious liver damage since the drug was launched, so when any signs and symptoms of liver dysfunction appear during the medication, the drug should be stopped immediately for medical treatment
.

Purchasing foreign "Internet red medicine"

Almost lost his life

On October 2, a news that "a 23-year-old girl took Internet celebrity drugs and was confused and almost died" appeared on Sina Weibo hot search
.
The reported girl who took "diuretic pills" for more than 1 month developed multiple organ failure and became life-threatening
.
Yu Xiaojia said that she has
also encountered this situation clinically.
Not long ago, a girl was sent to Chaoyang Hospital for emergency treatment
due to non-standard drugs to lose weight, causing serious consequences.

The girl bought the so-called "Internet celebrity medicine" from abroad online and has been taking it for more than 3 months
.
Because the drug contains antidepressant ingredients, it can play a role in suppressing appetite, plus contains a large number of diuretic components, resulting in the loss of water and electrolytes in the body, and the girl has severe dehydration and electrolyte disorders, resulting in hypokalemia and severe arrhythmia
.
Even after resuscitation, the girl was left with sequelae and needed long-term rehabilitation
after being discharged from the hospital.

Search major shopping platforms, "Internet celebrity" weight loss drugs and health products abound
.
"Lose 30 pounds a month!" "Lie down and be thin!" and other attractive advertising words, guiding consumers who are eager to buy
beauty.
Yu Xiaojia reminds: health care products have no therapeutic effect, at most auxiliary effect, and the weight loss effect cannot be professionally evaluated
.
For patients with related diseases, you must go to the hospital for professional help, even if it is a regular drug, there are contraindications and adverse reactions, and the use must be in accordance with the doctor's advice
.
"If you want to lose weight scientifically, you still need to consult a professional doctor
in the nutrition department of a regular hospital and a weight loss clinic.
" Yu Xiaojia said
.

Expert advice:

Weight loss should not be rushed, and a long-term plan should be made

Is drug weight loss suitable for healthy people? How to achieve scientific weight loss? The reporter interviewed Zhang Nengwei
, vice president of Beijing Shijitan Hospital and center of weight loss and metabolic diseases.
Zhang Nengwei said that for healthy people who want to lose weight or maintain weight for a long time, drug weight loss has no effect
.
"If it is not supplemented by physical exercise and diet adjustment, it will rebound
as long as you stop the drug.
"

For exaggerated weight loss marketing, Zhang Nengwei pointed out that it may not work in the first place, even if you can really "lose 30 pounds a month", "losing weight" in a short period of time will bring great harm
to the human body.
Metabolic abnormalities
may occur due to an imbalance in the state of the body.
"Continued excessive weight loss may cause hormone imbalance and premature ovarian failure
.
Many girls experience amenorrhea when they lose weight
excessively.
"In addition, for women who love beauty, weight loss in a short period of time may bring about sagging skin, folds, and even more likely to lead to rhabdomyolysis and kidney failure due to improper weight loss
.

"We should make long-term plans based on scientific reduction, and we cannot rush to achieve quick results
.
" For overweight or obese people with a BMI of more than 24, Zhang Nengwei recommends going to a professional bariatric clinic to seek intervention treatment options
.
For healthy people who seek beauty, he believes that diet and exercise can only be adjusted and controlled according to personal conditions, and long-term adherence and perseverance, "There is no shortcut to
weight loss.
" (Editor Li Chuang)