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  1. Medication Health Fraud

LipoFit Turbo may be harmful due to hidden drug ingredients

[11-27-2024] The Food and Drug Administration is advising consumers not to purchase or use LipoFit Turbo, a product promoted and sold for weight loss on various websites, and possibly in some retail stores.

FDA laboratory analysis confirmed that LipoFit Turbo contains sibutramine, metformin, fluoxetine, and furosemide not listed on the product label.

LipoFit Turbo may be harmful due to hidden drug ingredients

Sibutramine is a controlled substance that was removed from the market in October 2010 for safety reasons. This product poses a threat to consumers because sibutramine is known to substantially increase blood pressure and/or heart rate in some people and may present a significant risk for people with a history of coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, arrhythmias, or stroke. This product may also interact, in life-threatening ways, with other medications a consumer may be taking.

Metformin is the active ingredient in several FDA-approved prescription drugs used to treat type 2 diabetes and is only available with a prescription. Metformin may pose a serious risk to consumers because this ingredient can cause a rare but serious side effect called lactic acidosis (a build-up of lactic acid in the blood) that can cause death if untreated. Symptoms of lactic acidosis include nausea, vomiting, fatigue, body aches, respiratory distress, abdominal pain and fast, deep breathing. Metformin may also cause hypoglycemia when taken together with other medications to lower blood sugar.

Fluoxetine is an active ingredient in an FDA-approved drug used to treat conditions including depression, bulimia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. This medication requires a prescription from a licensed health care professional. Use of fluoxetine may cause serious side effects including suicidal thinking, abnormal bleeding, and seizures. This hidden drug ingredient may interact with other medications, leading to serious side effects including ventricular arrhythmia (abnormal heart rate) or sudden death.

Furosemide is a potent diuretic used to treat conditions such as, congestive heart failure, high blood pressure, and edema. It can cause dizziness, sudden drop in blood pressure when standing up from a seated or lying position, hearing loss, kidney damage, and profound dehydration and electrolyte imbalance. Patients allergic to sulfonamides may also be allergic to furosemide. 

Health care professionals and consumers should report adverse events or side effects related to the use of this product to FDA's MedWatch Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program:

Note: This notification is to inform the public of products potentially marketed as dietary supplements or conventional foods with hidden drug ingredients and chemicals. These products are typically promoted for sexual enhancement, weight loss, pain relief and body building and are often represented as being “all natural.” FDA is unable to test and identify all products marketed as dietary supplements that have potentially harmful hidden ingredients. Consumers should exercise caution before purchasing any product in the above categories.

Refer to the links below for more information:

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