DMAA (dimethylamylamine) Lawsuit

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The controversial dietary supplement ingredient dimethylamylamine (DMAA) has recently been banned in military facilities around the country after being associated with the deaths of two U.S. soldiers who collapsed during routine physical training. DMAA is classified by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) as a food additive, and acts as a stimulant that provides users with an extra boost of energy during a workout or other physical activity. Unfortunately, a number of serious side effects have been associated with DMAA 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 Update 5/22/12: Recently banned by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, Department of Defense, and Internet retail behemoth Amazon.com, the controversial dietary supplement ingredient DMAA may seriously threaten GNC’s stock price and create liabilities for the company in the near future. According to an article published earlier this month in the Wall Street Journal, DMAA-containing dietary supplements account for a substantial percentage of GNC’s revenues. Click here to learn more.

DMAA Update 5/14/12: Despite a recent FDA crackdown on DMAA-containing bodybuilding products, the Army will continue its research into the effects of the controversial dietary supplement ingredient. According to a Department of Defense (DOD) spokesperson, the military has an ‘intense interest’ in the results of the Army Public Health Command’s ongoing research on DMAA. Click here to learn more.

DMAA Update 5/8/12: Ten days after the FDA sent letters to a number of dietary supplement manufacturers requesting safety information on their DMAA-containing products, Harvard researcher Dr. Pieter Cohen is calling for an outright nationwide ban on the controversial ingredient. “The main message about DMAA is that it should be avoided,” says Cohen, who is an internist at Cambridge Health Alliance and an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston. “This ingredient should never have been in supplements in first place.” Click here to learn more.

DMAA Update 5/7/12: As DMAA’s future regulatory status appears bleak, dietary supplement manufacturers are scrambling to come up with effective alternatives. But the question remains, will DMAA’s replacement be safe to use as directed, or something just as controversial? 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.

Dietary Supplement Update 4/10/12: Less than a third of active soldiers discuss dietary supplement use with their doctors prior to taking them, according to a new study about drug use by military service members. Many of these individuals don’t consider the use of supplements to affect medications. However, when taken simultaneously, prescription drugs and dietary supplements can significantly increase a person’s risk of potentially life-threatening side effects. 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.

DMAA Lawsuit Update 2/28/12: DMAA has been illegally and unsafely sold in a variety of best-selling sports supplements, according to a class action lawsuit 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.” Click here to learn more.

Free Dimethylamylamine (DMAA) Lawsuit Evaluation: If you or a loved one has been injured after taking 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 DMAA and we can help.

What’s the problem with DMAA?

In February 2012, the Department of Defense (DoD) halted sales on products containing DMAA in military facilities following the deaths of two soldiers and numerous reports of adverse health effects in service members related to the use of dietary supplements. In the summer of 2011, a 22-year-old soldier collapsed and died during a jog at a military base in the Southwestern US. Later that year, a 32-year-old soldier collapsed during a fitness test and subsequently died after a month in the hospital. Test results revealed that both soldiers died from cardiac arrest after taking supplements containing DMAA.

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.

The United Natural Products Alliance (UNPA) has stated that supplement makers should not label DMAA as geranium oil, or as any other part of the geranium plant, due to the fact that only one questionable study is repeatedly referenced to show that DMAA is a naturally occurring constituent of geranium oil (Ping, Z.; Jun, Q. & Qing, L. (1996), ‘A Study on the Chemical Constituents of Geranium Oil, Journal of Guizhou Institute of Technology 25 (1): 82–85).

While the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) says it is possible that DMAA could be found in geranium oil, it recently introduced a trade requirement stipulating that members should not label DMAA as geranium oil or as any other part of the geranium plant.

Jonathan Woodson, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, requested that the surgeons general of the military services conduct a review of all available scientific evidence and adverse event reports to better understand the safety and efficacy of DMAA. The Department of Defense’s moratorium will remain in effect pending further investigation of scientific evidence and reported events.

In addition to the two deaths, the Army has also stated that it has received reports of acute kidney and liver failure, loss of consciousness, seizures and rapid heartbeat in soldiers who took DMAA-containing dietary supplements. One reported study of OxyElite Pro identified side effects including cold sweats and increased blood pressure that could lead to serious heart problems.

Despite the DoD’s moratorium on sales of DMAA products on military bases around the country, dietary supplements containing the product remain on the shelves of national retailers like GNC and The Vitamin Shoppe.

DMAA Side Effects

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
• 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 Nurtrition Spirodex

Do You Have a DMAA (dimethylamylamine) 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 DMAA injury cases in all 50 states.

Free DMAA (dimethylamylamine) Lawsuit Evaluation: If you or a loved one has been injured after taking a dietary supplement containing DMAA, you should contact our law firm immediately. You may be entitled to compensation by filing a DMAA injury suit and we can help.