FDA Warns About Tainted Weight Loss Pills

Are you putting on weight this holiday season? If so, beware of over-the-counter weight loss products!

Yesterday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration(FDA) alerted consumers not to purchase or use more than 25 different products marketed for weight loss because they contain active ingredients that may put your health at risk.

The products in question do not declare on their labels such active ingredients as sibutramine (a controlled substance and the active ingredient in Meridia), rimonabant (a drug not approved for marketing in the United States), phenytoin (an anti-seizure medication and the active ingredient in Dilantin), and phenolphthalein (a solution used in chemical experiments and a suspected cancer causing agent).

These weight loss products, some of which are marked as "dietary supplements," are promoted and sold on various web sites and in some retail stores.

According to the FDA, the health risks posed by these products can be serious – high blood pressure, seizures, tachycardia, palpitations, heart attack or stroke.

For a list of the 25 products and more information from the FDA:

• Questions and Answers: The FDA’s Initiative Against Contaminated Weight Loss Products

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