News

May 2014

Weight Loss Supplement Contains Multiple Stimulants

Weight loss supplement, Dexaprine, was recently removed from the Dutch market due to several reports of severe adverse effects.

Sold by California-based iFORCE Nutrition, Dexaprine is marketed as a weight loss dietary supplement. However, following reports of nausea, increased heart rate and one case of cardiac arrest to the Dutch Poisons Information Center, testing identified the presence of several stimulants, including synephrine, deterenol, oxilofrine, caffeine and theophylline. Furthermore, two additional methamphetamine-like compounds were also identified. While this supplement was pulled from the Dutch market, it is currently still available for purchase in the United States.

In addition to Dexaprine, many other products have been pulled from the market due to the presence of undeclared drug ingredients and associated adverse effects. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) currently lists over 70 products in which FDA laboratory tests have identified drugs such as sibutramine, fenproporex and others. Once the FDA identifies undeclared drug ingredients in a product, steps are taken to remove the product from the marketplace.

Dexaprine is not currently listed on the FDA list of contaminated weight loss products and it is not clear if testing is underway.

For more information about commercial dietary supplements, please visit Natural Standard’s Commericial Products Database.

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References

  1. Natural Standard: The Authority on Integrative Medicine 
  2. U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). www.fda.gov
  3. Venhuis B, Keizers P, van Riel A, et al. A cocktail of synthetic stimulants found in a dietary supplement associated with serious adverse events. Drug Test Anal. 2014 May 6. doi: 10.1002/dta.1664.

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