Pill vill dil ke paas

Liberalization has opened up India to the world. This has not only brought coveted brands into the country but also introduced the concept of fast food (or junk food).  

According to a Lancet study, India is the third most obese country in the world with one in every five people diagnosed as obese. As a result, use of diet pills to reduce weight and buoy looks has become rampant.

Post-liberalisation, even the beauty industry is heading skyward. The rich and the famous have been banking on Botox treatments and surgical procedures to stay young and beautiful.

Almost all diet pills are banned in India but many different brands and types of diet pills are sold over the counter without prescription. Are they safe?

“Multiple drugs,the main ingredient in many diet pills, are stimulants that have been found to increase risk of heart attack and brain stroke. Most of these stimulants are prescription level drugs that have not been approved or discontinued, but they illegally make their way back into the market,” Dr Raman Sharma,senior professor at SMS Medical College, said.

“It can raise the metabolism rate but the stimulant effect also causes an increase in the heart rate and even raises blood pressure.These side effects are strokes and heart attacks. Other side effects include suicidal tendency, irritability, anxiety, skin problems,trembling and sweating.” Dr Ram Chitlangya, cardiologist at Jeevan Rekha Hospital, said.

According to the 2016 report of the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, India ranks on the top in gynecomastia treatments. India also ranked third for liposuction and rhinoplasty (nose molding). It ranked fifth worldwide in general cosmetic surgical procedures after USA, Brazil, Russia and Mexico. Head and face procedures make up 45% of all plastic surgeries in India.

“Potential Botox side effects include wheezing, asthma, dizziness and faintness. There are other side effects as well, such as numbness, droopy eyelids, muscle spasms or twitching, and migration of the substance.Inform your doctor immediately if you have any breathing issues or a faint or dizzy feeling,” Dr Manoj, consultant at CK Birla Hospital said.