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Tag: anabolic steroids

  • FDA Warns of Supplement Containing Steroid

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this week warned consumers against a dietary supplement named Mass Destruction. The bodybuilding supplement has been found to contain a synthetic anabolic steroid.

    The FDA warning came on the heels of a death that is being blamed on the product. According to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, a 28-year-old man was seriously injured by Mass Destruction. After using the supplement for what the FDA calls “several weeks” the man required a liver transplant due to liver failure.

    According to the FDA, liver injury is a known possible side-effect of steroid use. Other side effects of steroid abuse include testicle shrinkage, infertility, breast enlargement, and increased risks for heart attack and stroke.

    The FDA is advising anyone using Mass Destruction to stop doing so immediately. In addition, anyone believing they are experiencing side effects from the supplement is advised to see a doctor. Possible side effects include fatigue, abdominal pain, back pain, discolored urine, and unexplained health changes.

    Though Mass Destruction is marketed by the Blunt Force Nutrition company, the manufacturer of the supplement has not yet been identified by the FDA. The agency is also continuing to analyze the supplement to determine its ingredients.

    “Products marketed as supplements that contain anabolic steroids pose a real danger to consumers,” said Howard Sklamberg, director of the Office of Compliance at the FDA. “The FDA is committed to ensuring that products marketed as dietary supplements and vitamins do not pose harm to consumers.”

  • FDA: Steroids Found in Vitamin B Supplement

    The FDA has a warning out for consumers of vitamin B dietary supplements: one brand in particular has been found to contain two different types of anabolic steroids.

    Healthy Life Chemistry by Purity First B-50 is the brand to watch out for, and the FDA cites 29 incident reports in which consumers who took the Healthy Life Chemistry supplements suffered from side effects that included fatigue, muscle cramps and myalgia. The allegations were confirmed when the FDA retrieved samples of the product and laboratory tests revealed the presence of methasterone and dimethazine.

    Further lab tests revealed some individuals had suffered altered liver and thyroid function, and that the supplements had adversely affected their cholesterol levels. If you have used the product yourself, you should seek medical care. Symptoms should be reported to the FDA MedWatch program using this handy online form.

    The supplements, manufactured by Mira Health Products Ltd. in Farmingdale, N.Y., were available both online and in retail stores.

    Howard Sklamberg, director of the FDA’s Office of Compliance in the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said that such vitamin supplements “pose a real danger co consumers and are illegal.” If the company continued to sell the B-50 supplement, the FDA has stated it could become liable to criminal prosecution.

    The danger is real enough that several of the consumers were hospitalized, but no one was reported dead or terminally ill from their supplement use.

    Reuters reported that the FDA was first notified of the issue when a physician alerted them to his 20 patients with similar fatigue and muscle pain issues.

    Women who took the supplements saw unusual hair growth and missed menstruation, while male consumers suffered from impotence and were found to have lower testosterone levels.

    Anabolic steroids are known to have a variety of ‘warning signs’ that include acute liver injury, kidney failure, strokes, blood clots, pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis. The FDA asks health care professionals to ask their patients about their dietary supplements in the wake of the discovery.