24-year-old woman dies after taking slimming pills
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Monday, Dec 03, 2012 The Straits Times By Khushwant Singh
24-year-old woman dies after taking slimming pills
SINGAPORE - She had been warned by her doctor not to buy dubious weight-loss pills online. And on discovering sachets of yellow capsules in parcels that were delivered to her daughter, her mother repeatedly threw them away.
Despite all the efforts to stop her, Ms Grace Yu Jing Ni continued to take the pills, and paid for it with her life.
The 24-year-old suffered chest pains after swallowing the capsules - bought at the www.eurosteroids.org website for $335 through a Ukrainian seller - on Jan 12 this year.
Taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital, she later died of dinitrophenol (DNP) poisoning. DNP causes rapid loss of weight but has adverse side-effects and is banned here.
On Friday, a coroner's inquiry into her death heard that she had been admitted to the same hospital in 2011 for drug toxicity after taking similar pills.
She also received psychiatric treatment for depression and was warned by a doctor of the dangers of taking slimming medications bought online.
In the past, Ms Yu's mother, 55, a manager in a transport company, had opened parcels addressed to her daughter and discovered sachets of yellow capsules without any labels.
She threw these away. It is believed Ms Yu - who had dropped out of the Singapore Institute of Management in May 2009 and was jobless - had placed the online orders at an Internet cafe as she did not have a computer or laptop at home.
A check with SingPost revealed that she had collected a parcel that arrived from Turkey on Jan 4.
Investigation officer Khairulizan Ishak told the court that Ms Yu, who was "a bit plump", was particular about her weight. She ate only healthy food and would shop for organic products.
At 10pm on Jan 11, her mother saw her in bed sweating profusely and breathing heavily. She also found several packets of yellow capsules.
Ms Yu said she had swallowed five pills and needed to rest as she was feeling tired.
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Died at the cost of beauty. Rest in peace. Condolences to the family
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Died in the name of vanity.