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Periactin, a drug prescribed for allergies, is increasingly being misused to gain inches on the hips and buttocks. Faced with this dangerous trend, the Medicines Agency announced this Thursday that it can now only be sold on prescription.
As of July 10, Periactin, an antihistamine prescribed for allergies, will only be available on prescription. This was the announcement made by the Medicines Safety Agency, ANSM, on Thursday. The reason? The drug is regularly diverted from its primary function for cosmetic purposes.
A treatment taken to “grow the buttocks”
Periactin is in fact diverted for a very specific purpose “for weight gain for aesthetic purposes”especially to make ““bigger buttocks”warns the ANSM. The molecule would indeed have orexigenic properties, that is to say that it increases the appetite and consequently allows you to gain a few kilos very quickly.The goal is to draw a defined waistline to create the illusion of an hourglass figure similar to that of the famous Kim Kardashian.” reveal influencers on TikTok delighted with their discoveries.
But the treatment is then taken in disregard of all safety. And as Dr. Isabelle Yodjian, medical director of the Medicines Safety Agency, reminds us. “This weight gain is not always localized in the desired areas”. A misuse that makes the decision unavoidable:
“Despite the information measures put in place since 2022, these misuses persist, as do the risks associated with them. The change in the conditions of prescription and dispensing aims to limit this misuse”explains the Medicines Safety Agency.
Taking medication is never harmless
As with any treatment, the ANSM also reminds us that taking Periactin can cause side effects.
“We have had reports of serious adverse effects, seizures, agitation, or drowsiness, urinary retention, tachycardiaconstipation, dryness of the mucous membranes. These effects are not harmless”reports the medical director of the ANSM.
Users are also echoing this online, as quoted France InfoAn influencer who used to take 5 to 6 tablets a day to gain weight and get in shape, looks back on her experience:
“This drug is destroying your life, it will make you sleep all the time, it will knock you out. You will be dizzy and nauseous, it is a drug that is extremely bad for the liver, it destroys it.”
A message that young and old people looking for a body that meets the new standards of beauty do not seem to hear.