Disclaimer: None of the information in this article constitutes medical advice, and is just the opinion of the writer(s). We recommend that patients follow their doctor’s guidance in regard to weight loss medication.

Many American consumers have recently taken to purchasing Mexican diet pills called Redotex, either abroad (in Mexico) or online. Prescription diet pills like Contrave can be expensive, so cash-strapped patients desperate to achieve weight loss may seek cheaper black market options.

But what is Redotex, and is it proven to be effective for weight loss? Is it available in the US? Do these Mexican diet pills cause side effects? And how do real Redotex users rate and describe the effects of the drug?

In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we explain what Mexican diet pills are, what's in them, and if they're proven to be effective for weight loss.

We'll discuss potential side effects, explain whether these pills are available in the US, and feature real Redotex user reviews.

Key takeaways:

• Called "Mexican diet pills" due to previous legality in Mexico
• Contains active ingredients that may be dangerous in combination
• We do not currently recommend Redotex

What are Mexican Diet Pills?

Redotex pills are called "Mexican diet pills" by American consumers and "Redotex pastillas" by Mexican consumers because this weight loss supplement is available in Mexico but currently banned in the US.

Redotex is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

This drug can have dangerous side effects, but it's been popular in the black market for decades. The New York Times published an article in 1987 on the illegal flow of Redotex from Mexico to the US.

Because Redotex is more widely available in Mexico (although recently banned in Mexico as well according to Riviera Maya News), American consumers can cross the border and purchase it at some pharmacies and black markets.

What's Actually in Redotex?

Redotex has five active ingredients.

 

Tri-iodothyronine is a synthetic thyroid hormone.

Taking supplemental thyroid hormone can increase metabolic rate, and was shown in a clinical trial published in The Lancet to cause weight loss.

 

Atropine is a prescription medication that affects the nervous system and can increase heart rate.

Diazepam is part of a class of medications called benzodiazepines ("benzos"), which have an anti-anxiety effect.

These medications have a strong potential for addiction and abuse, as documented in medical research, and we do not recommend using diazepam without a doctor's prescription.

We figure that diazepam is included to counteract the stimulatory effects of some of the other ingredients, and reduce the chance that Redotex causes anxiety.

Aloin is a laxative. Any laxative ingredient may cause short-term weight loss due to changes in water weight, but laxatives are not a safe or effective strategy for long-term weight loss.

D-norpseudoephedrine is a psychoactive stimulant.

A medical review published in the Frontiers in Neuroscience journal found that this ingredient may suppress appetite.

We consider this combination of stimulant, laxative, thyroid hormone and benzodiazepine ingredients to be particularly dangerous.

Is Redotex Effective for Weight Loss? 

A 2018 medical review evaluated the effectiveness of Redotex for treating obesity. The trial was short-term, lasting only 6 months.

Over 3,000 participants were included in the study, and Redotex was found to cause significant weight loss.

On average, patients lost 19.84 pounds over the course of the trial, and 14.3% of patients lost 10% or more body weight. The researchers concluded that Redotex is effective for the "short-term therapy of overweight and obesity."

We cannot identify any other clinical trials in medical journals testing the efficacy of Redotex. 

While this one trial found Redotex to be effective, and while we consider the drug likely to be effective based on its ingredients, more clinical trials are required to conclusively say so.

There is also a difference between efficacy and safety, as we'll discuss in the next section of this article.

Does Redotex Cause Side Effects?

Redotex may cause serious side effects, which is why it's banned in both the US and Mexico at the time of updating this article.

There are clinical reports of patients becoming severely ill after a single serving.

A medical case report found that just two pills of Redotex can cause life-threatening symptoms due to the high levels of thyroid hormone included.

The case report linked above detailed a patient who experienced elevated heart rate and blood pressure after taking the Mexican diet pills, and had to be treated at a hospital.

Another medical study, published in the Journal of Emergency Medicine, shares case reports of two patients with clinical thyrotoxicosis (excess thyroid hormone) due to Redotex use.

We would not recommend use of this weight loss medication due to the risk of side effects, unless otherwise prescribed by a doctor.

Real People Try Redotex

ABC News published an investigation on Redotex that has over 470,000 views at the time of updating this article. The news organization interviewed American patients traveling to Mexico to purchase Redotex.

ABC News forgot to publish a thumbnail image which is why the video looks broken, but the video works when played:

A YouTube creator named Niaa Solis shared her experience using Redotex, and explains if she lost weight:

Our Clean Weight Loss Picks

Ceylon cinnamon was described as "an effective anti-obesity agent" in a 2022 meta-analysis. The study authors concluded that effects were greater at doses at or over 3 grams daily.

Illuminate Labs Ceylon Cinnamon Extract is our standardized Ceylon cinnamon supplement which is third-party tested to ensure purity and potency.

Dietary fiber was shown in a medical review published in The Journal of Nutrition to cause 16 pounds of weight loss in 6 months when combined with moderate caloric restriction (750 calories per day below baseline).

MBG Organic Fiber Potency+ is our top fiber pick because it's certified organic, provides 7 g of fiber per serving and costs under $1.85 per serving at the time of updating this article.

Both of the products mentioned in this section are entirely free of additive ingredients that we consider to be unhealthy.

Redotex Pros and Cons

Here are the pros and cons of Redotex in our opinion:

Pros:

• Clinically shown to cause weight loss
• One active ingredient is individually shown to cause weight loss
• Another active ingredient is clinically shown to suppress appetite

Cons:

• Currently banned in US due to safety concerns
• Currently banned in Mexico due to safety concerns
• Can elevate heart rate and blood pressure
• Can cause thyroid toxicity
• Contains anti-anxiety ingredient with potential for addiction
• Unclear inactive ingredients
• Lacking clinical trial data

Conclusion

Redotex is clinically shown to cause weight loss in one trial, and based on its active ingredients, we do consider this drug likely to be effective for weight loss.

This medication is currently banned in both the US and in Mexico due to safety concerns, and we would strongly advise against its use.

There are many pharmaceutical weight loss agents available for prescription in the US, that can be prescribed by a doctor, with more favorable safety data than Redotex.

Redotex can cause thyroid toxicity, cardiovascular stress, and has lacking long-term safety data.

Redotex contains both a laxative and a benzodiazepine ingredient, both of which may be unsafe for long-term use.

When we initially published this article, Redotex was legal in Mexico, so we consider it to be a good sign that the country banned it in 2023, which should hopefully prevent individuals from accessing this dangerous drug.