The Health Department of the northern city of Hai Phong has warned consumers against a harmful medicine advertised online that helps infants gain weight by stimulating their appetite.

In fact, the medicine is an anti-inflammatory corticoid with side effects that can lead to water retention, brittle bone disease, and immune deficiency.

The warning was released after the health authorities discovered a post advertising the medicine on the Facebook page ‘Hội Mẹ và Bé Hải Phòng’ (‘Hai Phong Mothers and Babies Association’) in late February.

The offer came from a woman nicknamed Ha Pham who praised the medicine as a “wonderful remedy” that stimulates the appetite and boosts weight gain.

Ha Pham sold the medicine for VND6,000 (US$0.28) per tablet. She told potential buyers on the Facebook page that the medicine “is brought from Germany to Vietnam and is not harmful to one’s health.”

Many women have bought the medicine for their children, and one of the mothers said on the Facebook page that her baby gained 1 kilogram after a month of taking it.

One such mother is Nguyen Lan P., a resident of Hai Phong’s Le Chan District, who was very surprised when Ha Pham showed her the medicine tablets without packaging or a label, in unmarked plastic bags.

Eager for her baby to gain weight, P. bought a bag of 56 tablets.

After taking the medicine, her baby ate more than usual and after a week, the baby had gained one kilogram, P. said.

However, after she stopped giving her baby the medicine, it suffered from lack of appetite and lost weight again, the mother said.

P. then asked Ha Pham on the Facebook page about the origin and the name of the medicine, but the seller did not reveal them.

The woman said many other mothers experienced the same situation.

Anti-inflammatory corticoid

After an investigation, Tuoi Tre discovered that Ha Pham had bought the medicine from Dr. Pham Thi Tao, who has a private clinic in Le Chan District.

Dr. Tao prescribed and sold the medicine for Ha Pham’s baby when it lost its appetite.

After finding that the medicine helped her baby gain weight, Ha Pham offered to sell it online for Dr. Tao.

The doctor told Tuoi Tre that the medicine is a corticoid that has an anti-inflammatory effect.

As it also helps boost appetite, she prescribed it to Ha Pham’s baby, the doctor said.

“The medicine is not harmful to one’s health if taken in proper doses,” Dr. Tao said.

However, chief inspector of Hai Phong City Health Department Dr. Nguyen Dinh Trinh told Tuoi Tre that this kind of corticoid must be used only if a doctor prescribes it.

The corticoid’s side effects include increasing appetite and water retention, so many look fatter after using it, Dr. Trinh said.

The chief inspector added that Dr. Tao is a retired doctor and her clinic has yet to be licensed.

Dr. Trinh also said the Health Department has set up an inspection team to investigate the online sales of ‘weight gain’ medicines.

Inspectors have ordered Dr. Tao to shut down her clinic and stop illegally selling medicines without known origin to her patients.

Precautions

The purchase of medicines with unknown origin can cause serious health problems, said Lam Quoc Hung, head of the Poisoning Supervision Division of the Food Safety Department under the Health Ministry.

“The corticoid sold by Dr. Tao has anti-inflammatory and immune inhibition effects and causes water retention within the body,” Hung said.

In general, a long-term use of this corticoid will reduce the discharge of water from the body, leading to intracellular edema, thus making users look fatter as a result of water retention, he said. “As for children, those who take this corticoid for a long time can suffer from brittle bone disease and immune deficiency that will make them vulnerable to illnesses,” Hung warned.

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