If you have taken the dietary supplement OxyElite Pro Super Thermogenic, you may want to make sure it is safe as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning recently saying that the product may contain the drug Prozac.
According to the agency, it found the prescription drug fluoxetine (Prozac) in a bottle of OxyElite Pro Super Thermogenic it examined. The agency has advised the public not to take the product. After the announcement, the maker of OxyElite, Texas-based USPlabs, denied allegations that the supplements contain Prozac, saying that the agency tested a counterfeit product.
“Neither USPlabs nor its contract manufacturers has ever ordered or in any way handled fluoxetine for any purpose of any kind,” the company said in a statement. The FDA said it found the tainted supplements in an “examination of international mail shipments.”
It should be noted that Prozac is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, or SSRI, used to treat depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder and panic disorder. “Uses of SSRIs have been associated with serious side effects including suicidal thinking, abnormal bleeding, and seizures,” the FDA said.
Additionally, it should also be noted that in 2011, an earlier version of OxyElite Pro, was found to contain dimethylamylamine, or DMAA, linked to strokes and bleeding events. In addition to this issue, in 2013, there was an outbreak of liver disease linked to OxyElite Pro, including 97 cases of hepatitis, resulting in 47 hospitalizations, three liver transplantations and one death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
HOLDING A DRUG OR SUPPLEMENT MANUFACTURER LIABLE
If you have been following our blog, it should not come as a shock that a dietary supplement may contain a dangerous prescription drug. Last fall, we discussed how there were many dietary supplements in the marketplace for sale even though they have been recalled in the past.
In a study conducted last year, researchers at the Cambridge Health Alliance tested 27 recalled products purchased for weight loss, sexual performance and muscle building, discovering that 17 still had the same drugs that prompted recalls.
Remember, if a recalled dietary supplement or defective product injures you, it may be a good idea to speak to an attorney. You could potentially hold the manufacturer liable and seek compensation. You should not have to suffer because an over-the-counter product injured you. Manufacturers have a duty to make sure that the items they produce are safe. For more information, visit our verdicts and settlements page.
“Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.” – James 1:12