WARNING: Alka Seltzer Cold Plus~Kills

ALKA SELTZER KILLS



Some may have already received an email with the subject "Phenylpropanolamine." This email revealed a testimony of a young lady whose mother passed away on August 3rd. Her mom had visited her doctor for a check up and received a clean bill of health. While visiting her daughter she developed a cold and had taken Alka Seltzer Cold Plus for 3 days. Since her passing, the family discovered that Alka Seltzer is one of the many cold medicines that contains Phenylpropanolamine (a toxic drug ingredient also known as PPA). Upon reading this email, I did some research on “PPA.” Below is an article I found on Levin Law. You would find it interesting to learn how the FDA seeks to tackle products that contain PPA.



Article:

Manufacturers of some of the world's most respected cold and cough medications have been reeling recently from the fallout of the Food and Drug Administration's finding that the primary ingredient in many popular over-the-counter drugs, Phenylpropanolamine or "PPA," may be unreasonably dangerous. PPA is used in such popular cold medicines as Contac 12, Alka Seltzer Plus, Tavist-D, Triaminic, Dimetapp, Robitussin, and Triaminic. PPA is also found in weight loss products such as Dexatrim and Acutrim.
The FDA's studies have shown an increased risk of stroke associated with PPA. While currently the PPA recall is voluntary, the FDA is in the process of formulating an official and mandatory policy to ban PPA within the next several months. PPA has been associated with strokes in women under 50. Most of the strokes began with a severe headache, stiff neck, and some loss of consciousness. The headaches are often precursors to stroke and can occur several days before the full onset of stroke. Although rare, the strokes caused by PPA are likely to be severe and fatal. Many of the young women who experienced a stroke did so after only one dose of Phenylpropanolamine or PPA. The FDA estimates that annually between 200 and 500 strokes are associated with using products that contain PPA. Typically, the stroke occurs within three days of ingesting PPA. The most likely type of stroke associated with PPA is referred to as the hemorrhagic stroke, which involves bleeding in the brain.
[Article Source: http://www.levinlaw.com/CM/LegalResources/LegalResources81.asp]