Irish people are being warned about the dangers of buying slimming products over the internet, following the death of a young woman in the UK.

The warning comes from the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA), following the death of a 21-year-old English student earlier this month.

Eloise (Ella) Parry took a number of slimming tablets she had bought online, which contained a highly toxic substance known as DNP (Dinitrophenol).

A statement issued by Ms Parry's mother explained that Ella drove herself to her local Emergency Department after she started to feel unwell, however initially ‘there was no great panic as she was still completely lucid'.

"That all changed when the toxicity report came back and it was clear how dire her situation was. The drug was in her system, there was no antidote, two tablets was a lethal dose - and she had taken eight," her mother said.

She explained that hospital staff did all they could to stabilise her, but she was ‘literally burning up from within'.

"She had taken so much DNP that the consequences were inevitable. They never stood a chance of saving her... She never intended to take her own life. She just never really understood how dangerous the tablets that she took were," her mother added.

The HPRA emphasised that DNP is ‘not fit for human consumption' and urged people not to purchase slimming products which may be available illegally online, as some have been found to contain this substance.

It also warned that these substances may not be declared on the pack.

"To date, only a small number of tablets containing Dinitrophenol have been detained by the HPRA. However, as the internet is an unregulated source of supply of slimming products and other medicines, we are concerned that products containing this substance may have been purchased by Irish consumers," it noted.

It is advising consumers to contact their doctor immediately if they have taken any product containing DNP and are feeling unwell. Any remaining product should not be taken.

For more information on the dangers of buying medicines online, click here