Diet pills death: How to spot dangerous tablets online
The death of a student who died after taking a lethal dose of diet pills has renewed calls for more awareness of the dangers of buying medication online.
Eloise Parry from Shrewsbury bought slimming pills over internet, hoping they would speed up her metabolism to quicken the process of losing weight.
The 21-year-old, who was a student at Glyndwr University in Wrexham, North Wales, took eight pills, eight times the recommended daily dose. She died at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital on 12 April.
The pills - which are being tested - are thought to have contained dinitrophenol, also known as DNP, which is an industrial chemical and extremely dangerous.
But the pills which killed Eloise Parry are not the only ones circulating the internet which pose a danger.
As more people use the internet to understand their health issues, some also go online to buy prescription drugs. But NHS England warn that many online pharmacies are unregistered, so buying from them is potentially unsafe.
NHS England also say drugs such as erectile dysfunction drug Viagra and the cholesterol-lowering drug Lipitor are often sold cheaply online and without a GP prescription. They say medications should only be taken under the supervision of a health professional.
Drugs from an unregistered website could also be dangerous to your health because they may be out-of-date, diluted or fake.
According to NHS England, problems come when individuals diagnose their own condition, then obtain prescription medicine online without a prescription. The website providing this medicine is acting illegally.
So what should you look out for?
Don't be tempted by "spam" emails advertising cheap medicine. If something looks too good to be true, it usually is;
Check for the internet pharmacy logo when buying medicine online;
You can also check the registration status of the pharmacist by looking for the name and address of the pharmacy operating the website, as it should be connected to a "bricks and mortar" pharmacy;
Medicines should not be seen as regular consumer products. Fake medicines can cause real harm to your health;
Medicine sold from disreputable websites can be poor quality at best and dangerous at worst. What you receive in the post could be counterfeit, substandard or unapproved new drugs, which can put your safety at risk;
Always get your medicine from a pharmacy or a reputable outlet;
It is never a good idea to take a prescription medicine without a valid prescription. The medicine may not be suitable for you and could result in unpleasant side effects or serious health risks.