Diet Drug & Dietary Supplement Alert
Dietary Supplement Alert
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned consumers about the following dietary supplements:
Emagrece Sim Dietary Supplement, aka the Brazilian Diet Pill and Herbathin. This dietary supplement contains several active ingredients, including controlled substances, found in prescription drugs that could lead to serious side effects or injuries.
The FDA states they contain Chlordiazepoxide HCl (the active ingredient in Librium) and Fluoxetine HCl (the active ingredient in Prozac). Chlordiazepoxide HCl is actually used to control anxiety and to control the symptoms of alcohol withdrawal. Fluoxetine HCl is an anti-depressant medication used to treat depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, and bulimia. These drugs have been linked to serious drug interactions and adverse events, including suicidal thinking in pediatric patients, anxiety and insomnia, and abnormal bleeding.
The FDA has issued a warning not to purchase or consume Zimaxs, Libidus, Neophse, Nasutra, Vigor-25, Actra-RX, or 4-Everon as these products are in fact illegal drugs that contain potentially harmful undeclared ingredients. The FDA stated that the ingredients of said products can interact with medications and dangerously lower blood pressure. Chemical analysis from the FDA revealed that Zimaxs contains sildenafil, which is the active pharmaceutical ingredient in Viagra, a prescription drug. The other products contained chemical ingredients that are analogs of either sildenafil or a pharmaceutical ingredient called vardenafil.
The FDA issued a nationwide alert for Liqiang 4 due to the potential health risks as said capsules contain glyburide, a drug that could have serious and life-threatening consequences to certain people.
Dangerous Herb Drug Combinations
Before considering taking any dietary supplement, please contact your physician. In reality, many dietary supplements should be regulated and dietary supplement labels should contain strong warnings regarding drug interactions. Unfortunately, some manufacturers of dietary supplements have been reckless with regard to label warnings. The following are just a few examples of how dietary supplements can be contraindicated to certain drugs:
Feverfew. This herb interferes with the interaction of platelets and if combined with warfarin, aspirin, or other blood thinners, can potentially lead to severe bleeding.
Ginkgo biloba. This herb is also known to thin blood and should not be mixed with warfarin, aspirin or other blood thinners. The combination of this herb and other blood thinners may cause a bleeding stroke in certain people. This herb has also been attributed to hampering the effectiveness of anti-seizure medications.
Saint-John's-Wort. This herb should not be used with MAO inhibitors. This herb also may affect the effectiveness of some other drugs used for the treatment of HIV and cancer. Again, it is critical that you contact your doctor before using Saint-John’s-Wort.
Valerian. This is a sleep aid and can trigger extreme drowsiness if mixed with barbiturates and other medications used for the treatment of insomnia or anxiety. Alcohol is also contraindicated with this herb.
Kava. Kava is purported to have calming effects for people with anxiety but should never be used in combination with benzodiazepines, or any other sedative drugs.
Final note: This list is not comprehensive. If you suffered a severe interaction between a drug and a dietary supplement, you should immediately consult a physician. If you suffered serious injuries as a result of a drug and dietary supplement interaction, then you may want to contact a lawyer. Chances are the label of the dietary supplement was insufficient with regard to drug interaction warnings.
Current Drug Hazards
The following drugs are considered potentially hazardous:
We are looking for individuals who have meritorious claims concerning the following prescription drugs:
Name |
Potential Hazard |
Acutane (Isotretinoin) |
Acutane has been associated with birth defects. The FDA has issued a number of warnings to that effect. The FDA also issued an alert in 2005 concerning the association with suicidal ideation with the use of Acutane. |
Bextra |
Bextra is a pain reliever made by Pfizer Company which was taken off the market by the FDA in 2005. The following injuries have been associated with Bextra: heart attacks where the drug causes a clot in the arteries; strokes due to clots leading to insufficient blood flow to the brain; Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, which is a serious skin disorder. |
Lamictal (Lamotrigine) |
The FDA notified the public in 2006 that babies exposed to Lamictal during the first three months of pregnancy have a higher chance of being born with cleft pallet. |
Ortho Evra Birth Control Patch |
Ortho Evra has been associated with pulmonary embolisms or deep vein thrombosis. On September 20, 2006, the FDA announced that the Ortho Evra labeling would be further supplemented to add the results of two recent studies, one of which found that the clotting risk to be double that of birth control pills. |
Trasylol |
The drug Trasylol, also known as Asprotinin is made by the Bayer Company. This drug has been used in open heart surgeries to reduce bleeding and possibly to avoid or limit blood transfusion. The FDA stated in a report in 2006 that there were a large number of complications associated with the use of Trasylol, including stroke, heart failure and death. Trasylol has also been associated with kidney damage. There have been cases where patients have developed acute renal failure after surgery, leading to permanent injuries. |
www.fda.gov/opacom/laws/dshea.html
Ko, R, Au A. The Compendium of Asian Patent Medicines. California Department of Health Services, Food and Drug Branch, 1997.
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