Health

Hydroxycut recall as FDA says one person died from liver failure

by Amy Judd | May 1, 2009 at 10:09 am

3352 views | 55 Recommendations | 9 comments

The diet pill Hydroxycut has been recalled today as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says one person has died from liver failure after taking the weight loss supplement.

Health officials are saying that anyone taking the supplement should immediately as it could cause liver failure and in this one case, death. The FDA has received reports of 23 people suffering from liver problems, from jaundice to liver transplant.

Canada's lovate Health Sciences Inc, the maker of Hydroxycut has agreed to recall 14 of their products.

"The FDA urges consumers to discontinue use of Hydroxycut products in order to avoid any undue risk. Adverse events are rare, but exist," said Linda Katz, interim chief medical officer of the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.

Hydroxycut says that it will help with weight loss, water loss, and will burn fat while providing more energy.

The products Hydroxycut Cleanse and Hoodia products are not included in the recall however.

It is not yet known what ingredients could have caused this liver damage, and although it is rare, the patients who have reported problems, have taken the recommended dose on the bottle.

Some other health issues that have been reported include seizures, cardiovascular disorders and rhabdomyolysis (a kind of muscle damage).

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Amy Judd

at 15:32 on May 1st, 2009

Yes, it's really not worth it at all.

Torf (not verified)

at 10:37 on July 22nd, 2009

My sister has spent the last 24 hours in the hospital due to liver damage from Garcinia Cambogia, vomiting blood and in severe pain, along with other symptoms. Alcohol causes liver damage over a period of time....yes but for 25% of people GC causes it so quickly and severely.

Barbara McPherson

at 18:26 on May 1st, 2009

Some really interesting information here, both the post and subsequent comments.

Mary Richard

at 19:34 on May 1st, 2009

I agree, very interesting info here, thanks. I've never tried it, but before today, I wouldn't have thought twice about using it.

Amy Judd

at 19:44 on May 1st, 2009

Thanks for the extra information here Roy, really helpful and helps us understand the story more. I for one agree that it's the ephedra that could cause most of the problems and I'm sure that some people taking it must have exceeded the recommended dosage because there can be that thinking that 'if I just take two instead of one today, that will make things work quicker', which is never the way to go.

Eph (not verified)

at 08:17 on May 3rd, 2009

Wow, liver failure?

Drink water and lots of it!

Learn how to take care of your body

aj17 (not verified)

at 17:31 on May 4th, 2009

what about the other health issues claimed to be reported? As in, Seizures, cardiovascular disorders and Rhabdomylosis...

clarenash

at 23:33 on May 6th, 2009

I think there are a lot of good alternatives that can help you lose weight, be it diet and exercise or a better weight loss supplement. I think extensive weight loss research helps us understand how we can achieve our goals. I have heard about this drug before and as said above about seizures and cardio disorders it is a scary product to take

Cynthia111 (not verified)

at 20:36 on May 12th, 2009

Be careful with Hydroxycut. If you have been or are currently using Hydroxycut supplements to diet or get in shape, you should know it's been recalled and is apparently very dangerous. This site has a lot of good information on its problems: http://www.hydroxycut-liver-damage-lawyer.com/.