| FDA Warns Against PPA | |
I asked Bradbard why women seem to be at greater risk. She said women are already more pre-disposed to this type of stroke than men, and the fact that women are more likely to buy and use weight loss products than men also raises their chances. Even if you have taken products containing PPA in the past without unfavorable results, you should discontinue their use. "Just because something hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it's not going to," Bradbard stated. "And if something does happen, the results will be sudden and catastrophic."
If you have taken a PPA product in the past but are no longer using it, you are out of danger. If you were going to have a reaction, it would have happened almost immediately. Bradbard said the ill effects are very sudden: "The event would occur within just a few days. If the substance is out of your system, you are no longer in danger." The studies concluded that the strokes would occur within three days after women took weight loss products with PPA.
You should check your medicine cabinet for any weight loss products or cold medications containing this substance. Bradbard said that the label would say the entire word phenylpropanolamine, not just the letters PPA. She said, "There are many words similar to it, so if you are in doubt at all, please contact your pharmacist or health care professional."
The FDA encourages anyone aware of a serious adverse reaction, including consumers, to submit a MedWatch report. You can report an adverse event in two ways: Visit http://www.fda.gov/medwatch and click on "How to Report" or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
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