Phenylpropanolamine - Women's Health Advisory

[Snowy]

All drugs containing PHENYLPROPANOLAMINE are being recalled. You may want to try calling the 800 number listed on most drug boxes and inquire about a REFUND. Please read this CAREFULLY. Also, please pass this on to everyone you know. STOP TAKING anything containing this ingredient. It has been linked to increased hemorrhagic stroke (bleeding in brain) among women ages 18-49 in the three days after starting use of medication. Problems were not foun! d in men, but the FDA recommended that everyone even children) seek alternative medicine. The following medications contain Phenylpropanolamine:

Acutrim Diet Gum Appetite Suppressant

Acutrim Plus Dietary Supplements

Acutrim Maximum Strength Appetite Control

Alka-Seltzer Plus Children's 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 Effervescent

Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold &Sinus Effervescent

Alka Seltzer Plus Night-Time Cold Medicine Effervescent

BC Allergy Sinus Cold Powder

BC Sinus Cold Powder

Comtrex Deep Chest Cold & Congestion Relief

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/Caffeine Free

Dimetapp Cold & Allergy Chewable Tablets

Dimetapp Cold & Cough Liqui-Gels

Dimetapp DM Cold & Cough Elixir

Dimetapp Elixir

Dimetapp 4 Hour Liquid Gels

Dimetapp 4 Hour Tablets

Dimetapp 12 Hour Extentabs Tablets

Naldecon DX Pediatric Drops

Permathene Mega-16

Robitussin CF

Tavist-D 12 Hour Relief of Sinus &Nasal Congestion

Triaminic DM Cough Relief

Triaminic Expectorant Chest &Head Congestion

Triaminic Syrup Cold &Allergy

Triaminic Triaminicol Cold &Cough

I just found out and called the 800# on the container for Triaminic and they informed me that they are voluntarily recalling the following medicines because of a certain ingredient that is causing strokes and seizures in children:

Orange 3D Cold &Allergy Cherry (Pink)

3D Cold &Cough Berry

3D Cough Relief Yellow 3D Expectorant

They are asking you to call them at 800-548-3708 with the lot number on the box so they can send you postage for you to send it back to them, and they will also issue you a refund.

PLEASE PASS THIS ON. THIS IS SERIOUS DO PASS ALONG TO ALL ON YOUR MAILING LIST

They can then pass it along to their families.

[Snowy]

Sorry if this was already posted, but I did do a search. I checked 'Snopes' and this is TRUE.

[FourtySeven]

The number seems valid (they're actually too busy to take the call right away!), so this seems like it's worthy of a bump.

Thanks for the heads up!

[Snowy]

I just got this in my work email and immediately wanted to see if it was a hoax. I just bought Dimetapp. :(

[FourtySeven]

Wow, well can't you take it back? (if it's unopened)? I think you probably can. Maybe there's a number on the Dimetapp you can call too, like there was on the Triaminic bottle (apparently)?

[Question_Assumptions]

Check to make sure the box you bought contains the ingredient being recalled.

[dinasour]

While PPA was banned, this was a long time ago. None of these products currently use it, unless they have been in your medicine chest for a long time.

The ban was very controversial as well. The product has been in use for fifty years until the "We are all gonna die!!" crowd got a hold of a statistically insignificant study.

See: http://www.junkscience.com/foxnews/fn111000.htm

[etabeta]

I checked with my doctor and he said the study is 2 or 3 years old and the companies have already switched to other ingredients. He did not know about the children's remedies though. Considering I take what the doc says with a grain of salt, it's better to double check.

[Bruce Kurtz]

Our dog is actually on this drug for urinary incontinence. I did on google search on this drug about a week ago. Vets feel that the stroke risk is low for cats and dogs so it really does not have an impact on them. The articles that I read say the FDA pulled this drug a couple of years ago for people because of the risk of stroke in young women. I did not know it was still on the market?

Bruce Kurtz

[HeadOn]

Didn't this come out last year, some time? We could not get the Alka-Seltzer Cold Plus stuff last winter, because it was yanked. They've since manufactured a replacement.

Is this new?

[MineralMan]

This is extremely out of date. The ban on this drug took effect in the year 2000. No current products on the market use this ingredient. By posting this old information, which includes the names of medications that no longer have this ingredient, you perpetrate a fraud.

A simple search on Google would have revealed the truth here.

IMPORTANT: Not everything forwarded to you in email is accurate, up-to-date, or appropriate for posting in FR.

[vin-one]

going through the medicine cabinet right now, thanks for the heads up ,
worth bumping

BTTT

[MineralMan]

Unless you have out-dated medications in your medicine cabinet, you needn't worry. This ingredient was removed from all of the medications listed over two years ago. Don't fall for every internet hoax out there. While the ingredient was banned, that happened a long time ago. None of these medications include that ingredient and have not for a long time. So don't throw your stuff away without looking at the ingredients label.

[MineralMan]

It's not. This is one of those mail-forwarding chains. While the information is correct, it's at least two years out of date. None of the medications on the list contain that ingredient any longer.

Be suspicious of anything that is forwarded to you in email. All too often, it is a hoax or some out-of-date information that is no longer applicable.

[libbylu]

it's amazing, people do not read! this is old old old.... if you are going thru the medicine cabinet, just throw them away if they are 3 years old.
this drug was also used for people with urinary incontinence til banned 3 years ago!

[vin-one]

thanks, I did read the ingredients on all of it, next I will check for outdated med's anyuway.

[MineralMan]

"it's amazing, people do not read! this is old old old..."

Interestingly enough, the original poster said that he/she had checked it on Snopes. Apparently, he/she did not actually _read_ the Snopes text on this. It said clearly that the info dated back to 2000 and should be ignored. I hate this kind of stuff. It doesn't come from news sources, but comes as some sort of forwarded email. It's not news! It's not activism! It's old, outdated junk that should have been checked thoroughly before posting.

Interestingly enough, however, the ingredient is still in medications in Malaysia and the Philipines, some of the medications bearing the same names as on that list. I guess the pharmaceutical companies don't remove ingredients banned in the USA except in the USA.

Search for PPA or the full ingredient name on Google News, and you'll find news stories originating in that part of the world.

[gnarledmaw]

I see that youre already getten beat up a bit but heres a bit of a tip, for everyone really...

PLEASE PASS THIS ON. THIS IS SERIOUS DO PASS ALONG TO ALL ON YOUR MAILING LIST

This line, or one similar to it, is almost always at the end of every hoax, virus hoaxes especially. You see, the intent of the person originating these messages is that you do as they say, and everyone you send it to does as it says. Soon the traffic caused by all of the forwards and the repeated duplication of the message uses up all system resources and grinds traffic to a halt. Effectively they have infected the email server with something that has the same effect as a virus without having to write the code.

[maxwell]

The ban was very controversial as well. The product has been in use for fifty years until the "We are all gonna die!!" crowd got a hold of a statistically insignificant study.

BUMP for later read

Yeah I was good and p!ssed when they took PPA off the market-- it cleared my sinuses up cleaner'n a baby's. And all because a couple chicks might've had strokes. Sudafed just don't work like the old stuff. I'll check out your article, dinasour.

[AppyPappy]

PLEASE PASS THIS ON. THIS IS SERIOUS DO PASS ALONG TO ALL ON YOUR MAILING LIST

If you ever see this in an email, delete it. Don't forward it and don't post it anywhere.

[MineralMan]

"Effectively they have infected the email server with something that has the same effect as a virus without having to write the code.
"

Yup. Personally, I think the thread should have been ZOTted immediately. I just got done explaining to my 7-year-old mother about these things. She forwarded this ancient message to me, and was surprised to hear that someone would forward something to her that wasn't true. Feh!

I probably get about ten of these hoax email forwards a day, and they always come from someone I know, which means I take the time to open the email. It's a sort of spam that is really a time-waster.