Father Timothy Lipscomb took the anti-obesity drug Rimonabant, also known as Acomplia, for two weeks.

But the Vicar of Preston stopped taking the slimming pills after they made him "feel down" and gave him severe stomach cramps.

The tablets have since been ditched after the European Medicines Agency said using it risked psychiatric problems and suicides.

The 56-year-old vicar, who weighs 14st and is 5ft 9in, said: "I was on some other ones called Reductil which were very good but my body got used to them and they stopped having an effect.

"I decided to have a change and these were the alternatives.

"I did feel a little down in the dumps and quite ill.

"In the end I just came off them – I think I had a very lucky escape."

Around 100,000 Britons have used the drug since it was launched two years ago when it was hailed as a "£2-a-day wonder pill".

But since they started to be prescribed in the UK, there have been seven deaths including one suicide associated with the treatment.

An EMEA spokesman said: "The benefits of Acomplia no longer outweigh its risks and the marketing authorisation should be suspended across the European Union.

"Warnings about psychiatric side effects, in particular depression, have been included in the product information since Acomplia was first authorised.

"Patients who are currently taking Acomplia should consult their doctor or pharmacist at a convenient time to discuss their treatment.

"There is no need for patients to stop treatment with Acomplia immediately, but patients who wish to stop can do so at any time."

A spokesman for French firm Sanofi Aventis, which makes the drug, said: "Sanofi Aventis will comply with the European authorities request to temporarily suspend the marketing authorisation of Acomplia in obese and overweight patients and will make every effort to actively support patients and health care professionals in this process."