Tainted Weight Loss Wonders

Have you been taking an OTC (over the counter) weight loss supplement you swear by? Maybe you think it really is doing something despite the dizzying side effects you feel hours after consuming it. Well, there’s a reason. That seemingly natural weight loss pill may actually contain a prescription medicine in it. That’s right, several supplement companies are in the process of getting their hands slapped because their pills contain way more than just a little harmless caffeine and green tea extract.

Active pharmaceuticals such as fenproporex, fluoxetine, furosemide, sibutramine and cetilistat have been found in a number of weight loss supplements.  And, this is no little itty bitty health warning that you should throw by the wayside.  According to the FDA, some of the health risks associated with these prescription medicines include high blood pressure, seizures, tachycardia (rapid heartbeat), palpitations, heart attack, and stroke. Sibutramine, for example, is a controlled substance and was found in many of these products at levels much higher than the maximum daily dosage for Meridia, the only FDA-approved drug product containing sibutramine.
 
Here is the laundry list of products:

– 2 Day Diet
– Fatloss Slimming
– Slim 3 in 1 M18 Royal Diet
– 2 Day Diet Slim Advance
– GMP
– Slim 3 in 1 Slim Formula
– 2x Powerful Slimming
– Herbal Xenicol
– Slim Burn
– 3 Day Diet
– Imelda Fat Reducer
– Slim Express 4 in 1
– 3 Days Fit
– Imelda Perfect Slim
– Slim Express 360
– 3x Slimming Power
– JM Fat Reducer
– Slim Fast (this is the weight loss supplement, not the Slim Fast meal replacement line)
– 5x Imelda Perfect Slimming
– Lida DaiDaihua
– Slim Tech
– 7 Day Herbal Slim
– Meili
– Slim Up
– 7 Days Diet
– Meizitang
– Slim Waist Formula
– 7 Diet
– Miaozi MeiMaoQianZiJiaoNang
– Slim Waistline
– 7 Diet Day/Night Formula
– Miaozi Slim Capsules
– Slimbionic
– 8 Factor Diet
– Natural Model
– Sliminate
– Eight Factor Diet
– Perfect Slim
– Slimming Formula
– 21 Double Slim
– Perfect Slim 5x
– Somotrim
– 24 Hours Diet
– Perfect Slim Up
– Starcaps
– 999 Fitness Essence
– Phyto Shape
– Super Fat Burner
– BioEmagrecim
– Powerful Slim
– Superslim
– Body Creator
– ProSlim Plus
– Super Slimming
– Body Shaping
– Reduce Weihgt
– Trim 2 Plus
– Body Slimming
– Royal Slimming Formula
– Triple Slim
– Cosmo Slim
– Sana Plus
– Venom Hyperdrive 3.0
– Extrim Plus
– Slim 3 in 1
– Waist Strength Formula
– Extrim Plus 24 Hour Reburn
– Slim 3 in 1 Extra Slim Formula
– Xsvelten
– Fasting Diet
– Slim 3 in 1 Extra Slim Waist Formula
– Zhen de Shou

According to the FDA, here’s a little more information on the prescription drugs found in some of these supplements:
* sibutramine (an appetite suppressant available by prescription only and a controlled substance)
* fenproporex – a controlled substance not approved for marketing in the United States;
* fluoxetine – an antidepressant available by prescription only;
* bumetanide – a potent diuretic available by prescription only;
* furosemide – a potent diuretic available by prescription only;
* rimonabant – a drug not approved for marketing in the United States;
* cetilistat – an experimental obesity drug not approved for marketing in the United States;
* phenytoin – an anti-seizure medication available by prescription only; and
* phenolphthalein – a solution used in chemical experiments and a suspected cancer-causing agent that is not approved for marketing in the United States.
 
If you have a product listed above, stop taking it and call your primary care physician and let them know that you’ve been taking a weight loss product that contains a prescription medication in it.
 
Information on these products for consumers and health care professionals can be found at:
http://www.fda.gov/cder/consumerinfo/weight_loss_products.htm

To learn more about the FDA’s initiative against unapproved drugs see the FDA’s Compliance Policy Guide at:
http://www.fda.gov/cder/Guidance/6911fnl.htm.

Consumer Inquiries:
888-INFO-FDA

If you are interested in taking a weight loss supplement, first consider your diet and exercise program. If you haven’t altered your diet and changed your exercise routine (or at the very least amped it up a notch or two), do that first. It actually works if you stick with it.