Before taking any weight loss tablets or drops, make sure you know what’s in them – it could mean the difference between life and death.
A woman in Alaska was awarded $13.3 million after taking a supposedly all-natural weight-loss product containing ephedrine caused her to have a stroke.
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The Alaskan Superior Court ordered E'Ola International to pay $12 million in punitive damages and $1.3 million in compensatory damages to Rosalie Talbert, who had purchased the company's Amp II Pro drops.
The jury found the behaviours of the company "outrageous" and said the product was labelled "all natural" - even though it contained synthetic ephedrine in addition to herbal ephedra.
The jury also found that the company was negligent because it didn't make changes to the product, even though state and federal authorities had found it could cause serious health problems, including strokes.
Ephedra and ephedrine have been linked to hundreds of cases of adverse reactions. Some of the milder problems include nervousness and insomnia. Other cases have involved cardiac arrhythmia, high blood pressure, seizure, stroke and death.
Despite claims that their products are safe, companies that make these products have settled about 36 personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits involving the supplements since 1994.
Always ask your pharmacist when purchasing any diet products to make sure that the ingredients will not affect you negatively.
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