Young Melbournians are injecting themselves in search of the perfect tan using untested Melanotan II a product which promises a summer glow without exposure to harmful UV rays.
The artificial hormone when injected into the fat of the stomach increases the body’s production of melanin the darker pigment of the skin.
The drug is easily bought online with some sites promising to avoid customs by shipping within Australia.
Sites list side effects for Melanotan II as mild nausea, lack of appetite and increased libido.
23-year-old bodybuilder John Roseby (not his real name) said the list was not at all “comprehensive.”
“I had moles and freckles going really dark after a few injections and the first few times I felt sick to the point of throwing up,” he said.
The drugs popularity among Aussie youth has doctors and the Therapeutic Goods Administration worried they are putting their lives at risk.
A spokesman for the TGA said it was “unlawful” to import Melanotan II for commercial use and personal use was restricted to prescriptions by registered doctors of Australia.
He said the drug had not made an application to register in Australia and so had not been checked by the TGA for “safety and effectiveness.”
The hormone has been limited to prescription drug use since January 2011 after reports it was getting “abused as a lifestyle drug.”
He warned that anyone importing the product over the internet did so without the TGA “guaranteeing its safety.”
Mr Roseby said he first heard of the drug after asking a friend at gym who “looked extremely tanned.”
He was shown a website online where a 10mg vial or 10 injections worth could be bought for as little as $40.
Mr Roseby said he did research online at sites like Wikipedia and was at first “scared” to take the product because it involved “using needles.”
He admitted he felt like “giving it up” early but began getting “really brown,”
“So I stopped worrying about it- stopped doing research.”
Mr Roseby told City Journal the drug gained has gained traction among his friends.
“Most already do it, it’s easy to go online see the before and after pictures and be hooked.”
When asked if he would continue to use it Mr Roseby said he would during summer months despite medical officials warning it could theoretically bring on a melanoma.
The drug is banned from personal use throughout Europe and in Canada.
IS MELANOTAN safe to use?
MELANOTAN the BARBIE DRUG THE CASE Melanotan is any analog of the naturally ocurring hormone, alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (MSH). Th…
