Jack3d And OxyElite Pro Involved In Death Cases
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In bodybuilding circles, Jack3d and OxyElite are household names. Now the US Army removed both supplements from stores in military bases, as two soldiers died from heart attacks after using them.
DMAA
The main ingredient in these supplements is dimethylamylamine (DMAA), a stimulant related to amphetamine and ephedrine.
Originally discovered in 1944 by pharma company Eli Lilly and marketed as a nasal decongestant, it led an unenventful life.
That is until 2006, when a final ban on marketing ephedrine as a dietary supplement was enacted and supplement companies hit upon DMAA as a close alternative.
That its safety for human usage and toxocological profile have never been properly studied didn’t keep anyone from selling it.
From Nasal Decongestant To Party Pill
Accordingly it took the former nasal decongestant only two years to start making infamous waves in its new role as stimulant.
In 2008, partygoers in New Zealand began using it as a substitute for pills relying on illegal substances to induce euphoria and increased energy levels. Soon reports of side effects started coming in.
One year later, there was the first case of a clinical DMAA overdose: a 21-year old man developed cerebral haemorrhage (a rupture of blood vessels in the brain) after taking 2 DMAA tablets, each coming with 278 mg.
Still Legal
Now two US soldiers died, apparently after using Jack3d and OxyElite Pro. An army spokesman told the New York Times that DMAA had been identified in the toxicology reports of both. There also were reports of liver and kidney failure, rapid heartbeat, seizures and loss of consciousness from other users.
Does this at least lead to halting sales of supplements containing DMAA to the general public, at least until the connection of Jack3D and OxyElite Pro to these deaths is cleared? No. While they are investigated, you, I and anyone else can still walk into a store and buy them.
It’s a pity in the first place that it took two deaths to get an investigation going that should have been conducted before DMAA was marketed as a supplement. But it also is, in my opinion, absolutely astonishing that in the fitness sphere anything can be advertised for human usage without safety having been established beforehand.
Watch After Yourself
Imagine what would happen if drugs were sold using the same principle: no testing, just throwing them out on the market and then see what happens. And when we deal with dietary supplements, we often in fact are dealing with quasi-medical products.
That basically leaves the onus on you. Whatever you use, be extra careful, get all the information you can get and then decide if a small advantage to your training is worth potentially serious side effects.
Update October 10, 2013: For the recent cases involving OxyElite Pro and hepatitis, please read here.
Picture courtesy of “epsos.de“.
18 Comments
Dear Evil,
Oh My… I didn’t know that.
Thank you for sharing this article.
Love,
Dmitry
Dmitry, my friend, glad you found it helpful!
What no one chooses to state is that them 2 army personal exceeded the recommended dose. It is stated on the product how much to take yet they chose to take more. You can over dose on tylenol if you take more than the recommended dose. Come on people you can’t blame the product for the stupidity of 2 dummies.
Actually they took the recommended dose:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/17/business/a-soldiers-parents-take-aim-at-gnc-and-a-supplement-maker.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&
If you believe otherwise, show the evidence.
Well actually, they didn’t take the recommended dosage. They took both OxyElite and Jack3d together, both contain DMAA. I don’t own either, but there should’ve been something on the label warning against combining supplements.
How do you know they took both?
My bf takes tons of these supplements and whatever I tell him he says he won’t stop. He is sometimes like very obsessed with all this.
I can understand your concern. Yet all you can do is point him to resources that look at supplements from more than one angle. After that, he has decide for himself.
I take Oxy Elite everyday!!And my husband takes Jacked 3D.We never had any problems.I wonder if they took to much at one time??
Well, how much is too much? As I said in the article, there apparently never was a toxicological profile done.
Wow, what a bunch of mindless sheep. That’s what those two meathead soldiers get for double-cycling with OEP AND Jack3d. The Warning label on my bottle of OEP says not to have caffeine, alcohol, or any other kind of stimulant while the pill is taking effect. Also, LOL @ “small advantage”. Yeah, because your sensationalist little piece of pseudo-journalism is more credible than the countless people (including myself) who’ve taken them on and off and lost tons of weight. It’s real simple: Just don’t go overboard with them and all will be well.
I could swear they also said that about nuclear bombs.
Yes, they took way to much. They should of followed the recommended dose!!!
This is what happens to those who do no research and do whatever they want. I compare these people to 21 year olds who end up int the ER with alcohol poisoning. When taking any pill for whatever reason liver care is key. Water consumption along with proper diet and workout routine is also key. There is no magic pill for weight loss only tools to help you succeed. Like the 18 year old boy who committed suicide while on steroids an caused them to be banned, these 2 soldiers will cause a ban on these great weight loss tools. Steroids were banned from Olympic sports to level the competition field. It’s like being in surgery with no Anastasia because some died while on the operating table. Do we then ban Anastasia. Consult your physician before any new regimen and if you feel you can’t trust your doctor then do some good old research on your own there is the Internet. Hope the two don’t cause a ripple. They may have been great guys but not wise in their decisions.
And how do you know they did “whatever” they wanted? At least one of the soldiers used them exactly as per the instructions:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/17/business/a-soldiers-parents-take-aim-at-gnc-and-a-supplement-maker.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&
Not that reading the instructions exactly helps much:
https://evilcyber.com/supplements/supplement-labels/
* key note you should never stack two of the same type of products. They should be cycled with a recovery time in between.
People take “whatever” supplement they want to. The government nor anyone else made them take it. These are choices we as free individuals make. If I were to drive a sports car and make an incorrect maneuver causing me serious bodily injury, I can’t just say it was the cars fault, when It was due to my maneuver. I am almost possative that the young men didn’t speak to their physicians before using the product. I’m sure they didn’t have a stress test completed to ensure they were healthy enough to consume the product. I have used both myself and can honestly say that these are great tools when used properly to assist in weight loss(oxy elite) and additional energy boost(jacked3d). If this solider was in such GREAT shape why was he taking this product? Was he using it for weight loss? Or was he using it improperly. Did this solider have plenty of sleep prior to using the product or was he not getting enough sleep and continued to use the product. Was he consuming proper amount of water and was he taking any liver care products(milk thistle) This is the same issue with everything from cigarettes to alcohol pain killers and up to steroid use(different types for different uses) everything has side effects from including eating in excess causing obisity and diabeties. But it’s up to every individual to inform yourself about what you are taking and decide if its for you. The most controversial topic is the use of steroids but take into consideration Arnold, Sylvester Stallone and several several others have taken these product in excess and they don’t harm other people or have extreme steroid rage killing themselves or others. Same issue with guns… guns dont kill people, people with bad intentions kill other people. Which brings me back to why was he consuming the product, and was he well informed along with crossing all his T’s and dotting all his I’s before taking the product. Is it the manufactures responsibility to on everything you take. If I drink a healthy cup of coffee and later have a heart attack does that mean we can ban all coffee farms? Where does it stop? And when do we take responsibility for our decisions? It is a sad situation for their family’s but no one made the decision for them. I do pray that the families find closure.
I’m 47 yrs old I take medication for HBP and I just started taking the Oxyelite Pro pills and I feel perfectly fine, the only side effect I feel is that I get very very thirsty :), i did consult with my physician she didnt say anthing to me, I guess living it to my discretion. I have to say its very said what has happened to these 2 ppl but WE ALL KNOW OUR OWN BODY, OUR BODY LETS US KNOW IF WE ARE TAKING, DRINKING, EATING something it does like, so IF YOU MAKE THE DECISION TO START TAKING DIET SUPPLEMENTS AND YOU DONT FEEL YOURSELF AND/OR FEEL WEIRD PLEASE ***STOP*** TAKING THEM…