Why do I have hallucinations after taking an appetite suppressant?
In the SBS 'I want to know' broadcast on the 23rd, under the subtitle 'Butterfly medicine and bone mala tribe', the side effects and abuse of psychotropic appetite suppressants were highlighted.
In April 2019, a man was caught on CCTV near Hakdong Station in Seoul acting strangely. The man was unable to control his body, throwing his fists into the air and lying on the floor. Then he jumped into a moving car and crashed into it, and then he stopped.
His behavior that led to suspicion of drug use, he was immediately arrested and questioned, but the investigation revealed that he was not using drugs. The person who did this strange behavior is actor Yang Ki-won.
After seeing his behavior, I met a reporter who said he had a similar experience. It is said that three years ago, he received a revelation from heaven to 'redistribute wealth'. He bought things that were not being used, threw them away the next day, held the dead cat's corpse and waited for it to be resurrected. He tried to set his mother on fire, but after being forcibly admitted to a psychiatric hospital, he is still receiving treatment.
A similar thing happened in Uijeongbu. It is said that the ordinary daughter, Chun, set fire to the house after an argument with her family. And they found one thing in common. They said that they took a psychotropic appetite suppressant, also known as 'butterfly medicine' for weight control.
The informants who received information about psychotropic appetite suppressants through acquaintances or internet communities and were prescribed drugs. They found that it was actually very effective in suppressing appetite. However, many of them said they experienced side effects such as depression, hallucinations and hallucinations. In addition, when they stop taking it, they experience another side effect: their appetite cannot be controlled, resulting in bulimia, lethargy, and emotional ups and downs.
The expert said, "Phentermine, phendimethrazine, mazindol, and diethylpropion are psychotropic drugs and are expressed as amphetamine analogs. Although it has a function, it has a central excitatory action and hallucinatory action, so a drug made with an analogue is a drug that maximizes appetite suppression while minimizing the action of the central nervous system.”
Therefore, he warned that taking these drugs causes tension and excitement to continue, so appetite naturally falls, but if this period is prolonged, mental disorders such as complications may occur. Therefore, these drugs must be prescribed by a doctor.
The informants also received a prescription from a doctor and took the drug, but it was revealed that they did not fully understand the side effects and drew attention. In particular, it has been found that these drugs are easily prescribed to patients who need close observation before and after taking them, such as patients with a history of depression.
And although the target of use and the duration of the prescription are clear, it has been found that these guidelines are not properly followed in practice. In addition, obesity-specialized hospitals have been caught prescribing drugs that have side effects when taken together with psychotropic drugs, raising concerns.
The problem did not end here. A significant number of people have been found using psychotropic appetite suppressants as a substitute for drugs rather than for therapeutic purposes. In addition, there were few doctors who notified or prevented the overlapping prescription. During the interview, only one place informed about the duplicate prescription, and the prescription was given without any problems.
There was another bigger problem. Drugs that can only be obtained with a prescription from a hospital were illegally distributed, which made it easy for teenagers to access them. It was even more problematic because appetite suppressants, whose safety and efficacy have not been confirmed, are not currently prescribed for children and adolescents under the age of 16.
Teenagers are getting drugs too easily through proxy purchases. They desperately sought it, even though they knew it was illegal to buy it. And the reason they are obsessed with this drug is because of what is called 'Proana'. 'Proana' was a phenomenon aimed at anorexia.
It turns out that the Proana, which is popular among teenagers, are rather envious of those who suffer from eating disorders and seek a 'bone-dry' state by subtracting 125 from their height.
One of the informants that the production team met took out a picture saying that he is currently 155 cm tall and hopes to lose weight to 27 kg.
It shocked me when I said that I wanted to be in that state, saying that the photo was left with stockings because my legs were thin.
After taking psychotropic appetite suppressants, teenagers say they can't stop taking the drug because they like to suppress their appetite, even though they feel depressed or have auditory hallucinations and even harm themselves.
It wasn't just this.
The teenage informants that the production team met were also seeing abnormalities in their bodies, such as menstrual irregularities and gastrointestinal diseases.
Media that only features skinny celebrities, children who yearn for it.
As a result, the children were obsessed with dieting in the wrong way.
In response, experts raised their voices, citing overseas as an example, saying, "Regulations are needed to create diversity in body shape."
In addition, National Assembly member Mi-ae Kim from the Health and Welfare Committee said, "Patients should be aware that appetite suppressants are narcotic drugs, and doctors should warn of the dangers of abuse. And the supervision and supervision of the government should be strengthened." I think it would be much more effective to prevent misuse and abuse if there were rules,” he said.
(SBS Entertainment News Editor Kim Hyo-jung)