The state health department’s medical director, Dr. Patty Quinlisk, says she got a call from an Iowa physician whose patient was seeking treatment for removing an intestinal parasite.The timing of this article was very interesting to me. Just this past Friday, somebody asked me whether or not it was a good idea to swallow tapeworm eggs as a diet aid.
“Tapeworms can be very, very dangerous and even in rare circumstances have killed people,” Dr. Quinlisk says. “No, this is not a good idea. Even if you can find a place that would sell you something like this, it’s definitely not something to do. You could ruin your health by doing this.” Just because a product is illegal doesn’t mean you can’t find it for sale online, still, Quinlisk says she’s stunned tapeworms are apparently available for purchase...
In the case of the Iowan who gobbled the live tapeworm, Quinlisk advised the physician to prescribe an anti-worm medication which would kill the worm, forcing it to detach and be flushed out through the digestive tract.
I've heard urban legends of people using tapeworms as diet aids, but never anyone is real life. Outside of the health risk, I'd be nervous about passing it on to other people or animals!