Risky shortcut to a nice body

Star: THE pressure to have great bodies like models and popular artistes has made many girls at institutions of higher learning turn to slimming tablets, even at the expense of endangering their own lives.
Metro front-paged a report that girls were gulping down the slimming pill Duromine – bought illegally at pharmacies and clinics at RM25 for 15 capsules – although the pills could cause heart palpitation, nausea, heart problems and stress.
The report said the slimming pill was recommended by doctors only as a last resort for those who had tried exercise and dieting but had still failed to lose weight.
But because Duromine is easily available at pharmacies and clinics, the pill had become such a craze among girls who found it could help peel off a great deal of weight in a matter of days.
But there are side effects. Metro said the pill was addictive, causing hallucinations and that it was even popular among drug addicts.
The newspaper said Health Ministry enforcement officials had carried out checks on pharmacies and foud one in Wangsa Maju selling the pill to university students.
Although one of the officials posed as a customer and managed to buy 15 capsules, and it was recorded on the hidden CCTV; the pharmacy staff denied selling it when officials raided the place.
The officials found 270 Duromine capsules wrapped in newspaper in a bag hidden under the counter.
They also found two books with details of day-to-day sales of Duromine.