for your health please read! common medication recalls

i hope this isn't old news. i wanted to put it out just in case. the problem is most medication or anything is tested on men. there are initiatives out there to get companies to test on childresn/women. the main one right now (i believe) is a 6 month extension of their patent to make it financially worthwhile. last i heard it was ending and under debate/discuss at the legislature.


Please read and pass this on to loved ones. FYI: Hitchcock is a hospital in
New Hampshire.

This came to me by way of the Hitchcock clinic. Thought it was important
enough to pass along. There is a FDA link at the end for confirmation.


Look at the following carefully and call the number if you are using any of these products. 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, as I know that some of you may USE some of these drugs (Alka-Seltzer Plus for one). 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
found in men, but the FDA recommended that everyone (even children) seek alternative
medicine. The following medications contain Phenylpropanolamine:

Acutrim Diet Gum Appetite Suppressant 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.

If you know of anyone else with small children, PLEASE PASS THIS ON. THIS IS
SERIOUS STUFF. DO PASS ALONG TO ALL ON YOUR MAILING LIST so people are
informed. They can then pass it along to their families.

To confirm these findings please take time to check the following URL:
http://www.fda.gov/cder/drug/infopage/ppa/default.htm


Gordana Vantacic
Project Manager - HIP University

Oh my goodness ! Thank you so much for imformation about this and will pass it on to other people to know about it.

This message was edited Thursday, Nov 15th 2:58 PM

Ack.. I hate to bear bad news. This warning is pretty old. Since this FDA warning came out, many drug companies removed PPA from their medicines, and put them back out on the market.

So be sure to look specifically for phenylpropanolamine and not just the drugs listed.

Your friendly neighborhood chemist,

-Jennifer

Another addition to my post -

I don't know how I honestly feel about drug testing on children. That might spark some harsh debate, but I wouldn't want to be on the test crew watching children suffer (with drug effects or with extended illness) just to see if I've got the "wonder drug" in my research lab.

That's probably why I don't want to be a doctor.

-Jennifer

Yes this old new's but none the less a reminder if you might have some hanging around the house. All of the above med's were taken off the market and should not be sold over the counter either.
I work for a DR. and we were notified a long time ago about this.
If you do have any of these meds just get rid of them!!!!
sue

Some of them changed composition rather than just stopped production. For example, I just saw Alka seltzer cold tablets with "improved formula" written on the box. I looked at the label, and PPA is no longer being used.

guynh I knew that they were recalling some of the medicines on the list but I didn't know about the others.
Since I have to go to the doctor's office once a month I have learned that they also discontinue Theo Dura, a medicine that I have use for years to breathe. The problem with the Theo is that it speed up the heart and causing some people to shake( me for one) and caused heart attacts. I was so hyper that I usually ended up hurting myself further becuase I couldn't be still for a minute. Now I am trying to adjust to slowing down, believe me it isn't easy. If anyone else is on Theo Dura please ask your doctor to let your try Advair, it is a lot better.

This message was edited Sunday, Nov 18th 8:27 PM

thanks angel and ruby and windsurfer. and i hope i didn't scare you, or anyone too much redrose. it was the first i heard of it.

that's a tough one angel. i'd have a hard time testing on kids too. it's even worse than the debate about animal testing. and the argument goes in circles. if we don't test we subject all of them to possible harmful side effects. if we do test it's unethical. although i think drugs should be tested for women in addition to men. or bodies are different enough that there is lots of potential for disparaties between drug effects. i mean just look at shoes. most shoes made for women are designed after a man's foot, just made smaller. something that external and presumably simple and most companies still don't do it.

If you don't mind drug testing on children, please think of it this way...

Would you let a doctor use a test drug on your son or daughter if he/she had a cold?

I wouldn't.

-Jennifer

i took a small swig of alupent in 1985 that had been prescribed for my barely year old DD. i thoght i might die, my heart was going 130 something beats a minute for hours! guess they say some drugs act differently on kids....
phenylpropanolamine was prescribed by one of my docs for incontinence, he stopped prescribing it a pretty long time ago.

angel- no
would you give you kid a drug that you didn't know the effects of?
that's just the dilema. i do mind drug testing, but i also mind not knowing what's going on.

honestly for small stuff i figure things like (low) fevers are just your body's immune response to the infection. yes it's uncomfortable, but the reason it happens is to make your body a bad environment for the virus. but if my kid was breaking say 110, it might become a whole other story.

arlene, that would scare me and since i'm not one for taking drugs anyway that would really deter me from giving out drugs. drugs meaning i take a tylenol maybe once a year.