OTC Medication Recalls (Not a joke)

[Mimi]

I got a letter from our local board of education today concerning some new health concerns with several OCT medications. The school nurse added the note that the likelihood of one of these severe complications happening are minimal, however everyone should be aware.

Subject: Drug Recall

All All drugs containing PHENYLPROPANOLAMINE are being recalled. You may want to try calling the 800# listed on most drug boxes/bottles to inquire about a refund. Please read this carefully, and pass it on to everyone you know.

Stop taking anything containing this ingredient. It has been linked to increased hemorrhagic stroke (bleeding in the brain) among women ages 18-49 in three days after starting use of this medication. This ingredient also causes strokes and and seizures in children. Problems were not found in men, but the FDA recommended that everyone seek alternative medicine.

The following is a list of medications that contain phenylpropanolamine:

Acutrim Diet Gum Appetite Suppressant
Acutrim Plus Dietary Supplements
Acutrim Maximum Strength Appetite Control
Alka Seltzer Plus Childrens Cold Medicine Effervescent
Alka Seltzer Plus Cold Medicine (cherry or orange)
Alka Seltzer Plus Cold Medicine Original
Alka Seltzer Plus Cold & Cough Medicine Effervescent
Alka Seltzer Plus Cold & Flu Medicine
Alka Seltzer Plus Cold & Sinus Effervescent
Alka Seltzer Plus Night Time Cold Medicine
BC Allergy Sinus Cold Powder
BC Sinus Cold Powder
Comtrex Flu Therapy & Fever Relief
Day & Night Contac 12 Hour Cold Capsules
Contac 12 Hour Caplets
Coricidin D Cold, Flu & Sinus
Dexatrim Caffeine Free
Dexatrim Extended Duration
Dexatrim Gelcaps
Dexatrim Vitamin C/Caffine Free
Dimetapp Cold & Allergy Chewable Tablets
Dimetapp Cold & Cough Liquid Gels
Dimetapp DM Cold & Cough Elixir
Dimetapp Elixir
Dimetapp 4 Hour Liquid Gels
Dimetapp 4 Hour Tablets
Dimetapp 12 Hour Extended Tabs
Naldecon DX Pediatric Drops
Permathene Mega-16
Robitussin CF
Tavist-D 12 Relief Sinus & Nasal Congestion
Triaminic DM Cough Relief
Triaminic Expectorant Chest & Head
Triaminic Syrup Cold & Allergy
Triaminic Triaminicol Cold & Cough Orange
3D Cold & Allergy Cherry
3D Cold & Cough Berry
3D Cough Relief Yellow
3D Expectorant

Please pass this information along. This is potentially very serious. To confirm these findings, please take time to check the following URL: http://www.fda.gov/cder/drug/infopage/ppa/default.htm


Thanks 🙂

Mimi

 

[Texas_Tickle]

I got a letter from our local board of education today concerning some new health concerns with several OCT medications. The school nurse added the note that the likelihood of one of these severe complications happening are minimal, however everyone should be aware.

Subject: Drug Recall

All All drugs containing PHENYLPROPANOLAMINE are being recalled. You may want to try calling the 800# listed on most drug boxes/bottles to inquire about a refund. Please read this carefully, and pass it on to everyone you know.

Stop taking anything containing this ingredient. It has been linked to increased hemorrhagic stroke (bleeding in the brain) among women ages 18-49 in three days after starting use of this medication. This ingredient also causes strokes and and seizures in children. Problems were not found in men, but the FDA recommended that everyone seek alternative medicine.

The following is a list of medications that contain phenylpropanolamine:

Acutrim Diet Gum Appetite Suppressant
Acutrim Plus Dietary Supplements
Acutrim Maximum Strength Appetite Control
Alka Seltzer Plus Childrens Cold Medicine Effervescent
Alka Seltzer Plus Cold Medicine (cherry or orange)
Alka Seltzer Plus Cold Medicine Original
Alka Seltzer Plus Cold & Cough Medicine Effervescent
Alka Seltzer Plus Cold & Flu Medicine
Alka Seltzer Plus Cold & Sinus Effervescent
Alka Seltzer Plus Night Time Cold Medicine
BC Allergy Sinus Cold Powder
BC Sinus Cold Powder
Comtrex Flu Therapy & Fever Relief
Day & Night Contac 12 Hour Cold Capsules
Contac 12 Hour Caplets
Coricidin D Cold, Flu & Sinus
Dexatrim Caffeine Free
Dexatrim Extended Duration
Dexatrim Gelcaps
Dexatrim Vitamin C/Caffine Free
Dimetapp Cold & Allergy Chewable Tablets
Dimetapp Cold & Cough Liquid Gels
Dimetapp DM Cold & Cough Elixir
Dimetapp Elixir
Dimetapp 4 Hour Liquid Gels
Dimetapp 4 Hour Tablets
Dimetapp 12 Hour Extended Tabs
Naldecon DX Pediatric Drops
Permathene Mega-16
Robitussin CF
Tavist-D 12 Relief Sinus & Nasal Congestion
Triaminic DM Cough Relief
Triaminic Expectorant Chest & Head
Triaminic Syrup Cold & Allergy
Triaminic Triaminicol Cold & Cough Orange
3D Cold & Allergy Cherry
3D Cold & Cough Berry
3D Cough Relief Yellow
3D Expectorant

Please pass this information along. This is potentially very serious. To confirm these findings, please take time to check the following URL: http://www.fda.gov/cder/drug/infopage/ppa/default.htm


Thanks 🙂

Mimi

Man, those ambulance-chasing lawyers are gonna have a field day, with this one.

 

[Stitch62679]

This has been a problem for a while. It's not an emergency situation because the PPA in these products has stimulent properties, which are exaggerated in children mostly because of their physiology differences. Alone these products are ok, however in combination with other products they cause such a spike the cardiovascular system they do lead to Intracranial hemmorhage or stroke. The correlation in women was found most often in women taking Dexatrim for diet and then a cold/flu product with PPA in it, the combination effect was an overdose of the stimulant.
It is a good idea to avoid all of these products, especially if in concert with ephedra or caffeine. Any questions, just ask. 🙂

 

[Oddjob0226]

I remember when the Joker did this in BATMAN back in '89.....

 

[Limeoutsider]

I used to swear by Alka-Seltzer.

 

[Celticrose2001]

[in women was found most often in women taking Dexatrim for diet and then a cold/flu product with PPA in it, the combination effect was an overdose of the stimulant.
It is a good idea to avoid all of these products, especially if in concert with ephedra or caffeine. Any questions, just ask. 🙂 [/B]

DAMN!!😱 Since I took all of the above @ one time( and used to use WAYY too much dexatrim back inhigh school and early yrs of college) I guess I'm lucky to be alive..
Here in Canada(at least in Windsor) most products with Ephedra are banned;I myself had to stop taking it about a yr ago after a really nasty reaction I had from it.
Maggie

 

[shark]

I have been told by a pharmacy that much of this problem is also from people using these products as diet aids,and taking 4-5 times more than the recommended dosages.

 

[TicklingDuo]

Stitch is right. This has been an issue for a while. I'm surprised that you're just hearing about it now, Mimi. It was in the news in a big way about 3 years ago. My brother is a pharmacy tech at CVS and said at the time that most companies were working on reworking their formulas to eliminate the PPA. some have already done so. So, rather than just not buying those products (as some have done), you should check the labels.

Ann

 

[Oddjob0226]

I have been told by a pharmacy that much of this problem is also from people using these products as diet aids,and taking 4-5 times more than the recommended dosages.

Yeah, kids, especially rave kids, use ephedra, psuedoephedra, herbal extacy & so on, taking excessive amounts to get a kind of rush/high and to be able to have more energy, then they have strokes or heart attacks.

 

[ticklegud]

Yep, it is old news...Which is a shame. It's such a great drug when used properly. Vets use it in old female dogs to control urinary incontinence. For the past year or so, we have to have it compounded. Now we have veterinary substitutes. BTW...phenylpropanolamine can be converted to amphetamines (or so I've been told!), which is why in Ohio we have to go through extra paperwork even to stock it.

Good public message though, Mimi 🙂