Doctors concerned: "Tapeworm tablets" for weight loss offered on the Darknet

USA - Doctors are sounding the alarm: "tapeworm tablets" are increasingly being offered for sale on the darknet as a quick way to lose weight.

The risks are incalculable, the dangers enormous.

Doctors in the USA are currently issuing an urgent warning about the dangers posed by so-called "tapeworm tablets", reportsthe New York Post. The unapproved medication is laced with eggs of the dangerous parasite, is supposed to help with weight loss and is sold on the darknet.

The physician and YouTuber Dr. Bernard Hsu reports from his practice. A 21-year-old patient, known only by her pseudonym "TE", was unhappy with her weight and came across an advertisement for the dangerous weight loss method on the internet. Before and after photos had convinced her.

TE ordered the death medicine from the dubious online retailer, paid with cryptocurrency and soon received a package. Without hesitation, says Dr. Hsu, the young woman swallowed two tapeworm tablets and quickly lost weight. But then the side effects set in - stomach cramps, flatulence, strange bowel movements.

But the young woman ignored the symptoms, hoping for further weight loss - with dire consequences.

After a few weeks, the patient noticed strange bumps under her chin, Dr. Hsu explains.

"When she pressed on a bump, the next thing she could remember was lying face down on the floor." After the incident, TE suffered from severe headaches. The "bumps" would later turn out to be worm egg accumulations.

After the incident, TE suffered from severe headaches. However, she only went to hospital days later, where she initially concealed the tapeworm diet. The doctors tested for bacterial and viral infections, with no results. The young woman was prescribed painkillers and sent home again.

But the headaches persisted. "There were phases when she would suddenly wake up in the middle of the day and couldn't remember anything from the last few hours," explains Dr. Hsu.

It was not until a year later that TE went back to the hospital, revealed the whole truth and told her about the worm tablets.

By then, the tapeworms had long since infested the young woman's brain, nested in her liver and damaged her tongue.

But the 21-year-old was very lucky: tapeworms are treatable. TE was prescribed suitable medication, is worm-free after a three-week stay in hospital and probably has no permanent damage.

If the worm infestation had progressed further, there would have been a risk of cognitive dysfunction and even severe personality changes. Dr. Hsu also knows that the internal organs could have been irreparably damaged.

Dr. Hsu recommends: "It is possible for a physically healthy person to lose weight through diet and exercise. And that carries far fewer risks than deliberately allowing extra organisms to live inside you."