Ella Parry, 21, seemingly wanted to lose weight when she ordered slimming pills Dinitrophenol (DNP) online. However, the toxic nature of the drug – which is meant to be used as an antiseptic or for explosives – killed her. A couple of weeks ago, she took some DNP and began to feel unwell, driving herself to the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital at around lunch time.
Once there, doctors did toxicity tests and found that DNP was definitely in her system. However, there is no antidote or treatment to it because it’s never meant to be ingested by humans. Her metabolism began to soar and she died.
Her mum, Fiona, 51, has now issued a statement about her daughter’s death, reports MailOnline: ‘Sunday started out cool and clear.’
'By lunchtime there was a brisk wind, blowing in strong gusts that suggested a storm might be coming.’
'Overhead the skies were bright blue, almost cloudless and full of promise.
'I didn't know it at the time, but Ella had bought slimming tablets on the internet. A substance called DNP that is unsuitable for human consumption because of its toxicity.
'She had taken even more of these "slimming tablets" than recommended on the pack and had no idea just how dangerous they really were.
'How many of us have ever thought "If one tablet works, surely it won't hurt to take one or two more?"'
Um…yep, we certainly have, because you don’t expect it to end like this, do you? Fiona, then explained Ella’s brief time in hospital: The drug was in her system, there was no antidote, and she had taken a lethal dose.
'As Ella deteriorated, the staff in A&E did all they could to stabilise her.
'As the drug kicked in and started to make her metabolism soar, they attempted to cool her down, but they were fighting an uphill battle.
'She was literally burning up from within. When she stopped breathing, they put her on a ventilator and carried on fighting to save her. When her heart stopped they couldn't revive her.'
While a coroner investigates the exact cause of Ella’s death, Fiona has this to say about DNP: ‘Most of us don't believe that a slimming tablet could possibly kill us.
'DNP is not a miracle slimming pill. It is a deadly toxin.'
Follow Sophie on Twitter @sophwilkinson
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.