FDA Warns Consumers about "Herbal" Weight Loss Pills

Hammilton

Hammilton

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Monday, Dec. 22, 2008
FDA warns against some diet pills sold on the Web
By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON If you're looking for a little help shedding extra pounds after the holidays, the government is warning you to stay away from nearly 30 weight-loss products that contain unlisted and possibly dangerous ingredients.

The pills are advertised as "natural" fat busters and have intriguing names like Imelda Perfect Slim and Zhen de Shou. Some are touted as new versions of "ancient remedies" from Asia.

They may promise an easy fix to weight problems, but the Food and Drug Administration on Monday said the concoctions contain unlisted ingredients, including high doses of a powerful anti-obesity drug, as well as a suspected carcinogen.

"When consumers are buying these products online, we're telling them that if it sounds too good to be true, it is likely to be too good to be true," said Michael Levy, an FDA lawyer who works on enforcement issues.

FDA lab testing found 28 dietary supplements that could land unsuspecting users in the emergency room. Most of the diet pills appear to be coming from China. They are mainly sold on the Internet.

Nearly all of the pills contain sibutramine, a powerful appetite suppressant that's a chemical cousin of amphetamines. It can cause heart attacks, strokes and heart palpitations, especially in people with a history of high blood pressure or heart problems.

Sibutramine is also the chemical ingredient in the prescription drug Meridia, which is used to treat obesity. But FDA testing found that some of the diet pills contain nearly three times the recommended daily dose.

Several of the pills contain phenolphthalein, a chemical long used as a laxative, but which is now being withdrawn from the market because of cancer risks.

None of the supplements lists the dangerous ingredients on the label. "Consumers have no way of knowing that these products contain powerful drugs that can cause serious health consequences," said Dr. Janet Woodcock, head of the FDA's drug evaluation center.

The FDA is considering criminal charges against some of the companies, because they have not responded to requests for recalls.

The products are:

Fatloss Slimming, 2 Day Diet, 3x Slimming Power, 5x Imelda Perfect Slimming, 3 Day Diet Japan Lingzhi, 24 Hours Diet, 7 Diet Day/Night Formula, 7 Day Herbal Slim, 8 Factor Diet, 999 Fitness Essence, Extrim Plus and GMP.

Also:

Imelda Perfect Slim, Lida DaiDaihua, Miaozi Slim Capsules, Perfect Slim, Perfect Slim 5x, Phyto Shape, ProSlim Plus, Royal Slimming Formula, Slim 3 in 1, Slim Express 360, Slimtech, Somotrin, Superslim, TripleSlim, Zhen de Shou, Venom Hyperdrive 3.0


http://www.enquirerherald.com/368/story/465313.html
 
ok, so now we've been warned. The FDA has done it's job, so why don't they let the consumers decide for themselves now if the health benefits are worth the risks. For the truly obese, losing weight with these herbal products may be well worth it to them.
 
For the truly obese, losing weight with these herbal products may be well worth it to them.
Click to expand...

Except that they're not herbal. Sibutramine is DEFINITELY NOT a chemical found in nature!! It's also super dangerous, especially at the doses it's appearing in these pills.
 
Sibutramine is FDA approved for weight loss. While I believe that all products should be labeled accurately, I still take exception at the way FDA selectively attacks some products while ignoring others that just as dangerous. I believe that political agendas and pharma profits are more important to the FDA than the public welfare is.

The FDA just recently came close to banning the asthma control medication I've been using for years, which would have left me relying on ephedrine-based rescue inhalers which are, in my opinion, far more dangerous to my long term health. I just don't have much faith in federal agencies anymore! :(

Hammilton said:
Except that they're not herbal. Sibutramine is DEFINITELY NOT a chemical found in nature!! It's also super dangerous, especially at the doses it's appearing in these pills.
Click to expand...
 
It's also turning the products consumers into felons- I'm pretty sure having 90 pills at 3x normal dosage would earn you a trafficing sentence.
 
The FDA only cares because these pills are cutting into their market of amphetamines.

Jesus, just look at the warnings for ANY amphetamine/like medication.

Has the same fucking warnings.
 
Winding Vines said:
The FDA only cares because these pills are cutting into their market of amphetamines.

Jesus, just look at the warnings for ANY amphetamine/like medication.

Has the same fucking warnings.
Click to expand...

Yes, and that is why you can only get amphetamine if you have a script...
 
The issue is consumers do not know what's in these pills. They think they are getting something safe because it's legal and don't know the stuff couldn't potentially be harmful. What if someone decided to take 3 pills for instance? They would then get 9 times the daily dose of sibutramine recommended. Overdose is a real possibility. When you buy a pill from a dealer you know you are taking a risk and it could have anything in it. Having said that, you probably have some idea of how strong the pills are. You make that choice. These people aren't making that choice.
 
It's complete bullshit that herbal supplements are exempt from all the regulations that food and drugs go through (which are far from perfect, but better than nothing). Supplements are in a category of their own, neither food nor drug, despite the fact that they can have effects similar to or stronger than drugs. Many people are mislead into thinking/taking for granted that these supplements are A.-Safe and B.-Effective, which in most cases isn't true (if they're safe, they usually aren't effective, and vice versa). Ephedra was a GREAT weight loss supplement that actually did what it claimed, but because of a lack of general knowledge about it, many people died or suffered serious consequences. Some were because of misuse, others happened to healthy people taking regular doses.

On the other hand, I don't believe the pharmaceutical industry, the single most wealthy entity on planet earth, should have a monopoly on what goes into people's bodies. They buy out politicians, alter study results in their favor, and oftentimes pay news outlets to discuss their "disorder of the moment" to give it recognition so they can market drugs directly to the public ("If you suffer from Social Anxiety Disorder, ask your doctor about Paxil...). It goes deeper than most people realize, but at least they have to test their shit and label it correctly. If the herbal supplement industry had to abide by these same rules, I think they'd have a much bigger following and much less bad press.
 
^Lady, by 2012 the guidelines have changed. Making all of the teeny-tiny companies that pump out supplements from their garages impossible without having millions of dollars worth of licensing. I have mixed feelings about this as I am involved in this industry.

If people educate themselves and order supplements from actual Practitioners via the net or local then they are 99.9% of the time out of harms way.

Though IMHO I'd take any bath tub made supplement over the lists of medications my doctor has tried to put me on. I also think those damn commercials on medications need to STOP.


PS- Weight management is one of the MOST misrepresented subjects (and even the pharmaceutical industry banks on it hard core). Thyroid, Adrenal, cortisol, and so much more are involved than just dropping the pork chops on your thighs.
 
What ARE the laws/rules with synthetic stuff thats not approved? They sell piracetam and other racetam's and a whole bunch of other synthetic things - whats to stop these companies from selling capsules of JWH-xxx as "nootropics" etc..

Maybe only the ones that get you "too high" (or just "too good") and would be noticed?
 
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