DMAA Class Action Lawsuit Filed in California

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February 28, 2012 – 1,3-dimethylamylamine, also known as DMAA, has been illegally and unsafely sold in a variety of best-selling sports supplements, according to a complaint filed this month in Los Angeles federal court. The court filings accuse DMAA of being “illegal and dangerous,” and state that “experts in the industry have become concerned that this potent stimulant drug will lead to serious health issues and even death.” Over the past several years, DMAA has been linked to a number of serious and potentially life-threatening side effects including seizures, heart injury, kidney and liver failure, and death.

DMAA Update 7/16/12: Researchers from the University of Texas, Arlington, recently tested and compared a number of DMAA-containing dietary supplements against commercially available geranium extracts, and detected no presence of the controversial substance in the geranium samples. The source of DMAA is a hot button issue as of late, because it could ultimately determine the outcome of a string of class action lawsuits filed against DMAA manufacturers and distributors. Click here to learn more.

DMAA Update 6/20/12: This week, Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) warned Australians not to consume dietary supplements containing the controversial ingredient dimethylamylamine (DMAA). The Australian Federal Department of Health and Ageing and the Advisory Committee on Medicines Scheduling are considering a ban on the substance, and are set to meet at the end of the month when the problem will be ‘urgently discussed.’ Click here to learn more.

DMAA Lawsuit Update 5/4/12: Four DMAA supplement manufacturers who received warning letters from the FDA late last month have been slapped with class action lawsuits alleging their products are ‘illegal and dangerous.’ The litigation process will be watched closely, as the cases center around a hotly-debated point of contention regarding new dietary ingredients (NDIs): that synthetic versions of botanical derivatives are not classified as dietary ingredients, and are therefore not permitted for use in supplement products. Click here to learn more.

DMAA Update 4/27/12: The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) today sent warning letters to 10 manufacturers and distributors of DMAA-containing dietary supplements for marketing products whose safety has not been proven. Specifically, the FDA’s letters accuse the companies of marketing products for which a notification has not been submitted for the use of DMAA as a New Dietary Supplement (NDI). Click here to learn more.

DMAA Update 3/9/12: DMAA is to be banned in New Zealand after numerous reports of serious side effects and at least one stroke. It is the first substance other than a synthetic cannabinoid to be banned in New Zealand using the Temporary Class Drug Notices, and is scheduled to be completely off the country’s store shelves by early next month. Click here to learn more.

DMAA Update 3/7/12: Drugmakers and retailers that deal in dietary supplements containing DMAA are coming under increased scrutiny as questions of source and safety mount. The central issue currently causing the most debate about DMAA is the question of whether the stimulant is – as many supplement companies content – derived from the geranium plant, or whether it is a synthetically manufactured compound. Click here to learn more.

DMAA Update 3/6/12: Dietary supplements containing DMAA are being stripped from retail shelves and online catalogues in the UK as part of a crackdown on supplement makers by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). To date, the agency has ordered several companies to stop selling DMAA-containing pre-workout supplements like Jack3d, OxyElite Pro, and Hemo Rage Black. Click here to learn more.

DMAA Update 3/5/12: A new study has concluded that geranium oils do not contain the stimulant dimethylamylamine (DMAA), an ingredient in a number of best-selling dietary supplements. The new research once again questions an antiquated study often cited by pre-workout and weight loss supplement companies who market DMAA-containing products. Click here to learn more.

DMAA Update 3/2/12: U.S. Army soldiers will be test subjects in the first government-funded study into the side effects of DMAA. The research will be aimed at determining whether there is a link between the substance and reports of dangerous health conditions. Click here to learn more.

Free DMAA Lawsuit Evaluation: If you or a loved one has suffered an injury you feel may have been caused by a dietary supplement containing DMAA, you should contact our law firm immediately. You may be entitled to compensation by filing a suit against the manufacturer of the DMAA supplement and we can help.

What’s the problem?

The new class action lawsuit was filed on behalf of Southern California resident Lynette Bates, who purchased a pre-workout dietary supplement called C4 Extreme, a product that allegedly promises ‘explosive workouts.’ Among other things, the suit is accusing GNC and Cellucor Sports Nutrition of “making false and unsubstantiated representations concerning the efficacy, safety and legality of C4 Extreme.” Woodbolt International, Cellucor’s parent company, is also named in the complaint.

Although C4 Extreme is no longer made with DMAA, the controversial ingredient can still be found in a number of questionable dietary supplements such as Jack3d and OxyELITE Pro.

Marketed as ‘legal cocaine’ on some websites, DMAA is available in packet, pill, and liquid form. However, a growing consensus in the medical community believes there are a number of significant health risks associated with consuming the substance.

“What we’ve seen is that DMAA in supplements has been connected to situations where the heart has gone suddenly into failure due to excessive stress,” said Dr. Pieter Cohen, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School.

Dimethylamylamine is structurally similar to amphetamine, and was originally synthesized as a nasal decongestant by pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly in the 1940s. Although the company stopped marketing DMAA in the 1950s, medical literature from that era warned doctors that the substance was more potent in animals than ephedrine, an amphetamine-like stimulant.

Seeing as it is classified as a food additive, dimethylamylamine does not require approval by the FDA to be sold. Yet a number of prominent sports organizations, including the World Anti-Doping Authority which regulates drug use by Olympic athletes, list DMAA as a banned stimulant.

Side Effects of DMAA

Serious side effects associated with DMAA include:

• Hyperthermia
• Irregular heartbeat
• Seizures
• Heart attack
• Stroke
• Liver damage or liver failure
• Kidney damage or kidney failure
• Psychiatric side effects
• Elevated blood pressure
• Sudden cardiac death

Other, less severe side effects commonly reported in DMAA users include:

• Skin reactions
• Irritability
• Nervousness
• Dizziness
• Trembling
• Headache
• Insomnia
• Profuse perspiration
• Dehydration
• Itchy scalp and skin

DMAA Products

Dietary supplements containing DMAA include:

• Jack3d
• OxyElite Pro
• C4 Extreme
• NeuroCore
• Nutrex Lipo-6 Black products
• Nutrex Hemo-Rage Black
• Hemo Rage
• PWR
• Ripped Freak
• Spirodex
• RoxyLean
• Phenphedrine
• Rx6
• Velocity XT
• Amp 2
• HemoRush
• Muscle Spike
• iSatori PWR
• Muscletech NeuroCore
• Muscletech HydroxyStim
• Farenheit Nutrition Lean EFX
• Muscle Warfare Napalm
• SNI Nitric Blast
• BIORhythm SSIN Juice
• MuscleMeds Code Red. SEI MethylHex 4,2,
• Gaspari Nutrition Spirodex

Do You Have a DMAA Lawsuit?

The Product Liability & Defective Drug Litigation Group at our law firm is an experienced team of trial lawyers that focus on the representation of plaintiffs in DMAA lawsuits. We are handling individual litigation nationwide and currently accepting new heart attack, heat stroke, seizure, liver failure, and death cases in all 50 states.

Free DMAA Lawsuit Evaluation: If you or a loved one has suffered an injury you feel may have been caused by DMAA, you should contact our law firm immediately. You may be entitled to compensation by filing a DMAA injury suit and we can help.