PSN ex-chairman, Ajibade, warns against weight-gain products

A health expert and former Chairman of Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Oyo State chapter, Dr. Abiodun Ajibade, has cautioned Nigerians, especially women, against the use of weight-gain products containing cyproheptadine, such as Apetamin and Apetabon syrups and tablets.

Apetamin is an appetite-stimulating and weight-gain supplement designed to help people gain weight, which contains cyproheptadine, a medicine that alleviates allergy symptoms with ‘increased appetite’ listed as a side effect, lysine and other vitamins.

In an interview with The Guardian, Ajibade said as a result of the environment, people self-medicate and take advantage of the side effect of drugs that can put a lot of women at risk and may not be able to benefit effectively if the patient reacts to some of the components of the drug.

He said that even though the product stimulates appetite, people take the drug, not for the purpose it originally was meant for, owing to its accessibility at the registered Pharmacy and medicine stores or open markets with or without any professional prescriptions and consultations.

Ajibade said self-medication without expert advice is very dangerous, adding: “If you want to take any drug, it is advisable to talk to a pharmacist and ask how you can benefit from the medication.”

He, however, urged Nigerians, especially women, to always seek doctors’ prescriptions.