The Israeli Health Ministry issued a warning Monday against VOX weight loss pills, marketed as a nutritional supplement aiding in weight loss, according to a report by Arutz Sheva.
The Ministry’s Department of Enforcement and Supervision issued the warning after receiving a report about a consumer who purchased the pills on the advice of his personal trainer, who suggested them as a nutritional supplement, saying they would help in his efforts to lose weight.
The person was admitted to a hospital Intensive Care Unit with fever and chest pain.
An analysis of the pills revealed they contain liothyronine, a manufactured form of the thyroid hormone produced by the thyroid gland to regulate one’s body energy and metabolism.
It is generally prescribed to treat hypothyroidism, when one’s own thyroid does not produce enough of the thyroid hormone on its own, but side effects occur with excessive doses.
Needless to say, it is not safe to take without a doctor’s supervision and should never be purchased without a prescription.