Pharmacists in Kenya are raising the alarm over a growing trend that is making rounds on social media: women inserting allergy medication vaginally in the belief that it will tighten the vagina. The practice has gone viral online, and health professionals are now stepping in to set the record straight before more women are harmed.
Kenyan pharmacists are urging women who have already tried this to stop immediately and to seek medical attention if they are experiencing any discomfort or side effects. The concern is serious enough that health professionals felt a public warning was necessary.
There is no medical evidence that antihistamines or allergy tablets used this way produce the results being promised on social media. What the trend does carry is real risk, and pharmacists want women to know that viral does not mean verified.
Originally published by BBC Africa.