Department of Health
The Department of Health is the Government's health adviser and agency to execute healthcare policies and statutory functions. It safeguards the health of the community through promotive, preventive, curative and rehabilitative services.
The Department of Health today urged people not to use the slimming product “Slimming Kapsul”, which was found to contain the banned Western drug ingredient sibutramine and another drug ingredient spironolactone that may cause serious side effects.
The Hospital Authority reports a woman who took the product for six months began displaying symptoms of drug-induced psychosis. She is in stable condition.
Spironolactone is a diuretic with side effects such as headache, drowsiness, gastrointestinal disturbances, mental confusion, an imbalance of water to salt in the blood, and higher-than-normal levels of potassium in the blood.
Sibutramine was banned last November because of it increases cardiovascular risk.
