Any oral tablet or supplement from unofficial sources should not be used for weight loss purposes without proper direction or prescription from doctors as they could be harmful, some officials from Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) have cautioned.
“Take medications only through prescriptions from doctors. There is a growing practice among people to get such supplements either ordered online or brought in from other countries. When such items are checked clinically, we find that they contain several elements which cause damage to the body,” said Dr Buthina Ibrahim, senior consultant, endocrinology and diabetes at HMC.
Recently, it has been noticed that people are selling such products under the banner of dietary supplements. These are supplements to be taken orally and it is claimed that they could reduce body weight considerably within a short period.
“Such supplements are multi-billion dollar business all over the world. They are sold under different names and most of them claim that they are herbal. Some of them can be harmful as they cause diarrhoea and people lose weight. Some of them make people dehydrated and cause kidney failure,” said Dr Wahiba M Elhag , consultant bariatric medicine surgery, HMC .
Dr Moataz Bashah, consultant, bariatric medicine surgery, HMC said that such supplements are not approved either by HMC or the Ministry of Public Health.
“Some of these products can have have adverse effects caused by bacteria. Many such medications are claimed to be herbal and people feel that all herbal produces are safe. If people are already taking other medications they should not use these supplements as they can cause serious complications,” he added.
