Hydroxycut May Cause Liver Damage and Liver Failure:
Have you or your loved one been diagnosed with liver damage? Have you or your loved one taken Hydroxycut? You should consult a physician or other health care professional immediately if you or your loved one are experiencing symptoms possibly associated with liver damage.
Houston Texas Hydroxycut Attorneys and Legal Assistance:
If you or a loved one are in need of legal assistance concerning a Hydroxycut Lawsuit, you should get a lawyer on your side immediately. You will pay no attorney fees unless you win your case. Attorneys are standing by to speak with you NOW!
Please call our office toll-free at 888-350-3931, or complete and submit the Contact Form to be contacted by an attorney regarding your liver damage, which may be attributable to taking Hydroxycut. Please keep in mind that there may be time limits within which you must commence suit.
Reports of Serious Illness and Death
The FDA has received twenty three reports of serious health complications that include one fatality. Symptoms have ranged from jaundice and elevated enzyme levels to liver damage sufficiently severe that a liver transplant was required. The fatality attributed to Hydroxycut use was due to liver failure.
The health problems that the FDA has associated with Hydroxycut products are not limited to liver problems. The reports received by the agency include descriptions of "seizures; cardiovascular disorders; and rhabdomyolysis, a type of muscle damage that can lead to other serious health problems such as kidney failure." - FDA press release
Hydroxycut products are extremely popular dietary supplements that, according to the company, are sold in more than seventy countries. Nevertheless the manufacturer has quickly responded to the FDA's action and has withdrawn these products:
- Hydroxycut Regular Rapid Release Caplets
- Hydroxycut Caffeine-Free Rapid Release Caplets
- Hydroxycut Hardcore Liquid Capsules
- Hydroxycut Max Liquid Capsules
- Hydroxycut Regular Drink Packets
- Hydroxycut Caffeine-Free Drink Packets
- Hydroxycut Hardcore Drink Packets (Ignition Stix)
- Hydroxycut Max Drink Packets
- Hydroxycut Liquid Shots
- Hydroxycut Hardcore RTDs (Ready-to-Drink)
- Hydroxycut Max Aqua Shed
- Hydroxycut 24
- Hydroxycut Carb Control
- Hydroxycut Natural
Report Problems to the FDA
The Hydroxycut line of products contains an assortment of ingredients and herbal extracts. The FDA has not determined what ingredients are causing the health problems, and not all of the products that Iovate Health Sciences have chosen to recall are currently associated with these serious illnesses. However because the breadth and depth of potential health damage that these products can cause has yet to be determined, the FDA wants to hear from all Hydroxycut product users that have had health problems and are using one or more of the Iovate Health Sciences products.
Consumers and health care professionals have been encouraged to report any difficulties associated with the use of Hydroxycut products to the FDA using one of the following communications resources:
FDA MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting Program
Online: MedWatch Online Reporting Form 3500
Fax: 800-FDA-0178
Phone: 800-FDA-1088
Seek Legal Consultation Immediately:
If you are a Hydroxycut product user and have had health problems unassociated with any diagnosis, contact a physician about this recall immediately - and you should also consult an attorney. To access an experienced product liability attorney who will respond immediately and at no charge, complete and submit our firm's brief on-line Contact Form. We will make sure that your rights to compensation are fulfilled.
Hydroxycut History and FDA Enforcement:
In December 2003, The U.S. Food and Drug Administration in cooperation with the Department of Health and Human Services announced their intention to publish a final rule stating that dietary supplements containing ephedrine alkaloids present an unreasonable risk of illness or injury. The FDA finalized the ban on February 6, 2004, and the sale of dietary supplements containing Ephedra became illegal on April 12, 2004.
Hydroxycut, made by Ontario-based manufacturer MuscleTech Research and Development Inc., is a thermogenic (heat-producing) dietary supplement mostly composed of aspirin, caffeine and ephedrine. Hydroxycut is marketed as a weight loss supplement because of its appetite suppression effects as well as its fat burning results. Because Hydroxycut contains Ephedra (MuscleTech now markets an Ephedra-free formula), health officials warn that the supplement's use may cause unwanted side effects.
Ephedra has been linked to insomnia, nervousness, rapid heartbeat, high blood pressure, heart attack, seizure, stroke, and death. In February 2003, a similar Ephedra-containing weight loss supplement was linked to the death of Baltimore Orioles pitching prospect Steve Bechler. Bechler, 23, died less than a day after a spring training workout sent his temperature to a fatal 108 degrees. Autopsy reports indicated the pitcher died of heatstroke that caused multi-organ failure.
In March 2003, Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon filed a lawsuit against MuscleTech for misrepresenting Hydroxycut's safety and effectiveness. According to the suit, claims that the supplement was "clinically proven" to be a "fat burner" were false as research studies were misrepresented to gain desired results. The lawsuit also alleges that "before" and "after" photographs were misleading. Nixon says one woman's "before" photo was deceptive because she was recently pregnant.
See your doctor if you have experienced serious side effects associated with Hydroxycut or a related supplement. In addition, it may be important to contact a Houston, Texas Ephedra side effects lawyer who can help you protect your legal rights.
Links to Related News Articles & Press Releases:
May 1, 2009 - FDA Recall Firm Press Release
May 1, 2009 - FDA Warning to Consumers
May 1, 2009 - CNN: Stop Using Hydroxycut Products, FDA Says
May 1, 2009 - Fox News: FDA Recalls Diet Pill Hydroxycut After Reports of Liver Damage, Health Problems
May 7, 2009 - Updated FDA Recall Information Regarding Hydroxycut
