Doctors Warn Some Diet Pills Could Contain Amphetamines
Labels Not Easy Way To Determine Safety Of Pills, Doctors Say
POSTED: Thursday, October 13, 2005
  |
SOUTH FLORIDA -- Some doctors warn that some popular diet pills could be dangerous.Over-the-counter diet pills known as the "Brazilian pills," claim to be all-natural, but lab tests have found that some variations of them contain illegal amphetamines, NBC 6's Jaylene Rodriguez reported.At least four unsuspecting women taking the diet pills failed pre-employment drug tests at Baptist Health South Florida, Rodriguez reported.Thomas Moore, the corporate director of employment health services at Baptist Health South Florida, said the women were very surprised.Moore said he realized there was a common thread among the women when the third case happened in a month. He sent the pills the women were taking to a lab to be analyzed."In most of them, it was amphetamines. We found a drug called diazepam, which is a Valium," Moore said.The pills could be life-threatening, Rodriguez reported.A spokesperson for Kendall Regional Medical Center confirmed that two women who were admitted into the hospital's critical care unit with dangerous blood sugar levels were both taking Brazilian pills.Doctors have not confirmed the pills caused the women's health problems, but suspect they might have. The women survived.Despite the potential dangers, the pills can still be purchased on the Internet for up to $200 for a month's supply.Carolina Siervo discovered the pills, which she calls a "miracle" weight loss system. She said she lost 60 pounds in four months.She is happy with her results so far, and has no plans to stop taking the pills."If it's too good to be true, they are probably the wrong thing to take," Moore said.The pills could elevate your blood pressure to a dangerous level, and there is a possibility that some patients could become addicted, experts said.There are some variations of the "Brazilian" pills that are not considered dangerous, but doctors warned that based on the label, it is too difficult to tell which ones are dangerous and which ones are not.
Distributed by Internet Broadcasting Systems, Inc. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
A man is wanted after he kicked a front door off its hinges and shot a woman, KPRC Local 2 reports.
A 19-year-old is accused of using a stolen gun to shoot a Houston police officer who was trying to stop a burglary, KPRC Local 2 reports.
A man dies nearly two weeks after a masked gunman shot him in the head, KPRC Local 2 reports.
A driver admits to drinking and taking drugs before getting behind the wheel and crashing, police tell KPRC Local 2.
An Indiana man trying to take a shortcut through the Colorado mountains got stuck for three days with only some Mountain Dew.
Feb. 9, 2010: A man is accused of using a stolen gun to shoot a Houston police officer who was trying to stop a burglary. Mariza Reyes reports.
Anthony Yanez
Feb. 9, 2010: Local 2 investigates florists. Are you getting what you paid for? Amy Davis reports.
February 8, 2010: Charles Barkley joined Randy McIlvoy via satellite to talk about the 2010 NBA All-Star game and the Rockets.
Feb. 8, 2010: A METRO bus hits a light-rail train in downtown Houston, injuring nine people and knocking the train off the tracks, KPRC Local 2 reports.
Check out our slideshow forecast to find out how long the chilly temperatures will stick around.
A police officer is shot in northwest Houston, KPRC Local 2 reports.
A METRO bus and a light-rail train collide in downtown Houston.
It has been 25 years since the debut of the hit comedy "The Breakfast Club" in theaters. What are the stars of the film up to today?
Email Alerts
RSS News Feeds
Mobile
Live Streams
Slideshows
Video
Search
