Nigerians have been cautioned by the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) regarding the usage of four products discovered to contain powerful medicinal compounds, steroids, and other prohibited substances.
Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, the Director-General of the agency, issued a public alert in Abuja on Sunday, and the warning was included in it.
According to Adeyeye, the agency was informed about the product through an official statement from the Health Sciences Authority of Singapore.
She asserted that the included potent medicinal ingredients are prohibited in the affected goods and could potentially result in severe side effects for consumers.
She said, “The HSA confirmed that four consumers experienced adverse effects after taking three of the products.”
She added that laboratory analysis conducted by HSA on the products revealed that they contain potent medicinal ingredients, including steroids.
Furthermore, she said the products also contain sibutramine (a banned weight loss medicine) and tadalafil (an erectile dysfunction medicine).
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According to her, “The possible adverse effects of potent ingredients found in these products are Dexamethasone and Prednisolone.”
Speaking further, she emphasised that dexamethasone and prednisolone, potent steroids, are generally prescribed for inflammatory conditions and require careful medical oversight.
Adeyeye said that long-term unsupervised use of steroids can cause “increased blood glucose levels, which she said may lead to diabetes, high blood pressure, cataracts, muscular and bone disorders.”
She said that steroids could also cause an increased risk of infections and Cushing’s syndrome (a round or ‘moon face’ appearance and upper body obesity with thin limbs).
She added that discontinuation of steroids without proper medical supervision can cause serious withdrawal symptoms such as fatigue, confusion, and low blood pressure.
