Be warned! Know about this deadly banned Chinese drug secretly back in Kenya

A controversial fertility pill that was banned by the Kenyan government about 10 years ago for causing severe negative effects on babies and women has made a secret comeback to the country.

The illegal pills, sold under the guise that they are herbal to mean they are made from natural ingredients, have been reported to cause negative side-effects on women and children of breastfeeding mothers.

Women on the pill experience varying side effects with the most common ones being nausea, tender breasts, palpitations, “heavy” legs, tiredness and a feeling of false pregnancy.

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The China-made pill, commonly referred to as “Sofia”, is reportely being sold at herbal clinics without the knowledge of Kenya Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB).

Gullible Kenyans are unable to verify the composition of the pill since information on the pack is in Chinese language, which is contrary to the Laws of Kenya, Cap 244.

According to reports, Sofia is easy to buy online and from ‘herbal clinics’ and also from unscrupulous dealers who deliver purchases on order across the country.

The once-per-month use and its relative affordability of about Ksh. 200 per tablet, has made the pills attractive to women keen on family planning.

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Tests showed that the pills have over 40 times the recommended levonorgestrel and quinestrol hormones.

Some pills were found to contain as much as 3000mcg of estradiol, 100 times more than the recommended dosage.

“We have seen enlargement of the breasts and the uterus of these children who are less than three years meaning they can menstruate any time,” Director of Medical Services (DMS) Dr Francis Kimani said during the 2009 ban.

“If such a child is abused, they will get pregnant.”

“The mothers who are taking this tablet have a feeling of pregnancy all the time; they are also complaining of pain on their feet and they don’t feel like working,” Dr Kimani said.

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“One of them is very depressed and has stopped working because of the complications of this medicine,” he added and warned that the product could also cause cancer.

“Excess estradiol which is an analogue of oestrogen poses a risk of blood clots and heart disease,” a senior pharmacist Dr Jill Mutua is quoted by Business Daily.

“Babies born to these women or babies breastfeeding while their mothers are on the pills are exposed to excess oestrogen and carry a risk of developing secondary sexual features,” she added.

The pill has also been linked to cases of children born with enlarged breasts and abnormally developed uterus of children below three years.

Image result for sofia pill in kenya

In addition, breastfeeding children were reported to have swollen feet, knock-knees, painful muscles and slurred speech.

According to BD, a user of the pill lamented that she missed her menses for months after discontinuing its usage and only visited a gynaecologist when she started developing health complications.

She reportedly had abnormally thickened endometrium, which poses a high risk of endometrial cancer.

It is believed that laxity by government officials have led to its re-entry into the country.

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