On the first day, her daughter ate more food. But on the third day she became tired, lost her appetite and began suffering from a bout of diarrhoea that lasted three days.
She was then admitted to the city's Paediatric Hospital No.2 for treatment.
Phuong said that she bought the drugs for her daughter following a friend's advice.
Like Phuong, Nguyen Thi Thu Trang of District 7 also bought an appetite stimulant, called Sterogy, for her eight-month-old son to take.
She said her son, who weight only 6kg, did not like to eat.
After seeing information on an online forum, Phuong decided to buy the drug.
While her son depends on the drug and will not eat without taking it, Trang said the drug did not help him gain weight.
Many parents buy such appetite-stimulants after seeing interesting adverts on TV or after receiving advice from friends.
These kind of drugs have become more and more popular on the market.
Drugs that are used to help children sleep well, grow taller and increase intelligence are sold in many drugstores or via TV.
Pharmacy owners in HCM City said that stimulants like Peritol, Corticoides, Inpadin and Dobenzic are the top sellers.
Doctors said the city's Paediatric Hospital No. 1 and No. 2 had been treating many children for serious conditions caused by the intake of such drugs.
Dr Nguyen Thi Hoa of Paediatric Hospital No.1's nutrition ward said around 3,000 children per month were being treated.
Of that number, 70 per cent were admitted because of a loss of appetite.
Dr Do Thi Ngoc Diep, deputy head of the city Nutrition Centre, said the centre was also treating children for oedema, a condition caused by an overuse of appetite stimulants.
Children who use these drugs are at a risk of slow development, according to doctors, who say they can cause constipation, diarrhoea, stunted growth and oedema.
Children lose appetite because of varying reasons, doctors say. Parents should not buy these drugs, and instead should take children to nutrition centres or hospitals for check-ups or treatments. — VNS
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