is this product safe?

I hope it's OK to post this question here.

Last year, I tried a weight loss product called Li Da Daidaihua. It worked great, in that it suppressed my appetite. For the first time ever, I had no problems following a low-calorie diet (I chose WW). I lost 8 kilograms fairly quickly.

Then, I read that Li Da was not natural at all, but contained twice as much sibutramine as prescription weight loss drug Reductil/Meridia (which has been banned in some countries, maybe even in the whole EU?), and that some people have died using it. That scared the h--- out of me, and I stopped taking it cold turkey.

But I keep reading glowing reviews written by people who swear by its effectiveness. As a former user of Li Da, I know it's works, but I would hate to take a supplement containing a banned prescription substance. On the box, it says that the ingredients are bitter orange extracts, india lutos, cassia seed, alisma orientalis, and L-carnitine, so if it does indeed contain sibutramine, it is not listen anywhere...

[Jazzw]

Honestly? I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole.

Sorry - that's probably not what you want to hear. Goodness knows I understand the desperation to lose weight, but taking a supplement which is known to be dodgy because of its unknown and unlisted ingredients is never a good idea.

Reviews are all very well - but how many of those are faked by sellers who want to flog their product?

Think I'd go back to basics on this one - do you have a known thyroid problem - and if so, are you on enough of the right thyroid replacement therapy?

[Hidden in reply to Jazzw]

Yes, diagnosed with Hashimoto's in late 2000. On thyroxine until late 2011, when I went to see a hormone doctor. Put on NDT (Armour) in November 2011, worked my way up to 300 mg daily, felt great until July 2012 when I renewed my prescription and went downhill on the same dosage as before, but different strengths (instead of 30, 60, 90, and 120 mg pills, I switched to 240 and 300 mg pills). Switched to Erfa in June 2014. I have been doing OK on it. Not great, but OK. I have been wondering lately if maybe thyroid hormone replacement is not enough...?

I could add that, between the time of diagnosis (late 2000), during all those years on thyroxine (I ended up on 200 mcg/day), I gained about 20 kilograms. When I was put on Armour, in late 2011, I weighed a lot more than at the time of my initial diagnosis, in 2000. Looking back, my weight gain before initial diagnosis seems modest in comparison to the weight I gained during my ten years on T4 drugs only...!

I was also diagnosed with adrenal fatigue and insulin resistance. I was put on Medrol for the adrenal fatigue, but I cannot really say it has done much for me. I have been looking for the perfect OTC product ever since. God knows there are enough reviews on the net, but I have not been able to find a good enough replacement for Medrol yet...I asked my doctor about natural HC, but was told that since I tend to retain fluid, Medrol would be better for me.

My doctor wanted me on Metformin for insulin resistance; is that a good idea...?

[Hidden]

I can confirm that this product works, as it suppresses appetite, making it easy to eat less. But I also stopped using it after reading that it contains the same active ingredient as prescription weight loss drug Reductil which, it seems, is now banned in the whole EU and the US...