Hydroxycut withdrawal

One death and two cases of people requiring a liver transplant have been linked to taking the weight-loss aid Hydroxycut. The FDA issued a recall effective May 1, 2009 for more than a dozen hydrocut products. The manufacturers agreed to withdraw these products from the market, citing safety concerns. Some hydroxycut supplements are not involved in the reported incidents and remain on the market. The recalled products include the following.

• Hydroxycut Regular Rapid Release Tablets
• Hydroxycut Caffeine Free Rapid Release Capsules
• Hydroxycut Hardcore liquid capsules
• Hydroxycut Max Liquid Capsules
• Hydroxycut Regular Drink Packets
• Hydroxycut Caffeine Free Drink Packets
• Hydroxycut Hardcore Drink Packets (Ignition Stix)
• Hydroxycut Max Drink Packets
• Hydroxycut Liquid Shots
• Hydroxycut Hardcore RTD (ready to drink)
• Hydroxycut Max Aqua Shed
• Hydroxycut 24
• Hydroxycut Carb Control
• Hydroxycut Natural

Although millions of customers have taken hydroxycut products over the past 10 years, recent reports of liver injury have prompted the Food and Drug Administration to proceed with a recall. Twenty-three cases of elevated liver enzymes, jaundice, and seizures and cardiovascular incidents have been called to the agency, which is based on self-reporting of non-FDA regulated products. It is not known how many others may have health problems that they did not associate with the product or call the FDA to report.

A major obstacle to finding safe weight loss supplements is the fact that herbs and other compounds are not defined as “food” or “drug” and therefore escape regulation by the federal agency that oversees the safety of these types of products. Care should be taken when choosing dietary supplements not approved by the FDA or other reputable agencies, remembering that claims that sound too good to be true… probably are.