A good portion of emails I receive come from two types of people: Those who want to know where to get various diet pills, and those who are selling them.

Acomplia (Rimonabant), for example, is not yet approved by the FDA. However there are plenty of black marketeers out there who are happy to send you the drug – at least you hope it’s the right drug.

Can you be really sure what’s in these pills?

UN watchdogs have issued a warning about diet pills claiming the “slimming obsession” is behind the huge market in both counterfeit and real drugs.

• Highest users of anoectics – Brazil, Argentina, the Republic of Korea, the United States, Singapore and Hong Kong SAR of China, in decreasing order.
• The main substances manufactured and consumed worldwide are phentermine (45 per cent), fenproporex (23 per cent), amfepramone (18 per cent), mazindol (9 per cent) and phendimetrazine (4 per cent).

Brazil seems to be out-of-control with a per capita consumption rate 40% higher than that of the US. In fact a significant amount of drug manufacturing seems to go on in Brazil.

Their use can be addictive, and since they stimulate the central nervous system, indiscriminate use could produce serious adverse effects. Acute overdose could be very dangerous and may lead to panic states, aggressive and violent behaviour, hallucinations, respiratory depression, convulsions, coma and death. That is why these drugs have to be prescribed by a doctor who has carefully assessed the risk vs. benefit for the patient.

See the full article from the UN here (PDF)