’Teenagers abuse Gevorin to lose weight’

By Yoon Ye-seul

Gevorin, a tablet made by a Korean medicine manufacture to combat headaches and reduce swellings, is reportedly being abused by a growing number of Korean female students to lose weight.

They have circulated rumors on the Internet that taking more than five Gevorin pills causes vomiting and diarrhea, which helps them lose weight.

On one portal site, a high school student wrote that she lost her 2 kg after taking eight pills of Gevorin, which is produced by Samjin Pharmaceuticals Co. Another posting specifically shows the amount of weight lost each day due to the side effects of taking the pills.

Students who took a lot of the pills also posted on the Internet about the severe side effects of overdosing. “After taking 10 pills of Gevorin, I threw up everything I had eaten and could not eat anything because of the sickness,” “I vomited three times and felt cold after taking a lot of Gevorin” are comments by those who experienced side effects of taking an overdose of the medicine.

For these reasons, doctors and pharmacists say that the people should not be take more than six pills a day. “Although the dosage depends on individuals, two pills of Gevorin can cause severe dizziness as well as vomiting,” said a 64-year-old pharmacist surnamed Sohn.

“I do not prescribe this medicine for people whose stomach is not healthy.” “You should not take the medicine without doctor’s prescription because medicine is somehow like poison,” said another pharmacist who works in Mapo-gu, western Seoul.