How dangerous are diet drugs like DNP?

Short answer

Very dangerous. Of 456 reported poisonings, 11.9%, about 1 in 8, died. There is no antidote, and deaths came both hours after a single dose and after months of use.

How dangerous are diet drugs like DNP?
'Just take it and the fat burns off' — at what cost?
DNP (dinitrophenol) is sold online as something that burns body fat fast. Its name comes up among people preparing for contests. We checked how dangerous it really is using poison center records and case reports.
It was never a medicine
Banned in the US in 1938 as unfit for human consumption
DNP is an industrial chemical. It makes the body waste energy as heat instead of using it, and that is how it cuts weight. It was sold as a diet pill in the US in the 1930s and banned after a string of severe poisonings. In the 2000s it came back as an illegal 'fat burner'.
Poisonings came back
In the UK, 3 reports in 5 years became 22 in 1 year
The UK poisons service received 3 reports of DNP poisoning over the 5 years from 2007 to 2011. There were 5 in 2012 and 22 in 2013. Of these 30 people, 5 (17%) died. The common symptoms were fever (47%), a racing heart (43%) and sweating (37%).
Records from 38 countries
9% of 456 cases died, about 1 in 8
Poison centers in 38 countries pooled 456 DNP poisonings from 2010 to 2020. Reports rose from 4 in 2010 to 71 in 2015. 11.9% died, about 1 in 8. Women (11.3%) and men (12.6%) showed no difference.
Who died?
Acidosis raised the risk of death 5.4 times
An analysis of 86 US and 118 UK cases found that 11.6% (US) and 16.9% (UK) died. Acidosis, when the blood turns too acidic, raised the risk of death 5.4 times. A racing heart raised it 3.6 times, confusion or agitation 3.4 times and high fever 2.8 times.
One dose can kill
A death 4.5 hours after taking it
1 person reached hospital with fever, a racing heart and high blood pressure after taking DNP. Despite several treatments, he died 1.5 hours after arrival and 4.5 hours after taking it. There is no antidote for DNP poisoning, and in case after case treatment could not stop the fever and muscle rigidity.
Long-term use also kills
Deaths after 44 days and after 6 months of use
1 person took it for 44 days, then developed nausea, sweating and a racing heart and died 9 hours later. Another took it for 6 months, was hospitalized with multiple organ failure 4 months before his death, kept taking it and died. And 1 person who took it with clenbuterol died of high fever.
Bottom line: it is a poison, not a diet pill
1 in 8 reported poisonings ended in death
DNP was already banned in 1938 as unfit to eat. Between 11.9% and 17% of people reported for poisoning died, and there is no antidote. Deaths happened both hours after a single dose and after weeks or months of use.