Dangerous drug for rapid weight loss, young generation at grave risk

A weight loss drug called ‘Molecule’ that went viral on social media TikTok has put young people in Russia at grave risk. As this drug that promises rapid weight loss spread on social media, teenagers started buying it in droves. Many videos showed blue boxes filled with refrigerators, with the caption: ‘Eat Molecule, forget about food.’ Another caption: ‘Do you want to sit at the back of the class in loose clothes?’

Maria, 22, from St. Petersburg, started taking two pills a day after buying Molecule online. After two weeks, her mouth became completely dry, and her appetite and thirst completely disappeared. She said, ‘I don’t want to eat at all, I don’t even want to drink water. I feel very nervous. I would bite my lips, chew my cheeks.’ BBC Kharab.

After a few days, her mental state became terrible - anxiety, negative thoughts, panic engulfed her. In Maria's words, "This medicine (pill) was having a terrible effect on my psyche."

Other users say - dilated pupils, trembling hands, sleeplessness. So far, at least three schoolchildren have had to be taken to the hospital. It is known that she obtained the medicine with the help of a friend after being teased by classmates about her weight.

Although the medicine package says "natural ingredients" - such as dandelion root or fennel seeds, the Russian daily Izvestia has checked - it contains sibutramine.

First developed in the 1980s, it is later used as a prescription weight loss drug. It increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. It was banned in the United States in 2010. It is known as an illegal drug in many countries, including the United Kingdom, the European Union, and China. In Russia, selling this substance without a prescription is a crime. Yet, it is being sold in high quantities without authorization on online marketplaces.

Molecule is very cheap. A 20-day course costs just £6–7 ($8–9). On the other hand, a pen of the popular weight-loss injection Ozempic costs £40–160 ($50–210) in Russia.

“It is very risky to take these drugs yourself. None of us know how much of the real substance is in these supplements,” said Ksenia Solovyeva, an endocrinologist in St. Petersburg.