Safety alert: Consumers should not buy or use slimming product LAMI which contains undeclared Western drug ingredients that can cause serious side effects.

The Department of Health has urged consumers not to buy or use slimming product LAMI which contains undeclared Western drug ingredients that can cause serious side effects.

A 28-year-old woman took the product, bought from a shop in Lok Fu April 21, and had auditory and visual hallucinations, paranoia and a poor mood.

She was hospitalised in Kwong Wah Hospital on April 23 and discharged three days later.

Laboratory tests on the product found sibutramine and spironolactone. A warning about a similar product was issued on June 4, 2008. Investigations are continuing.

Sibutramine is a western drug ingredient used as an appetite suppressant. Its side effects include increased blood pressure and heart rate, psychosis and convulsions. People with heart problems should not take it.

Spironolactone is a drug used for reducing the amount of water in the body, to treat oedema and heart failure. It can cause headache, drowsiness and gastro-intestinal disturbances.

Products containing sibutramine or spironolactone must be registered before they can be sold in Hong Kong. They can only be sold on a doctor's prescription and dispensed under a pharmacist's supervision.