DMAA Party Pill Lawsuits

DMAA is a stimulant ingredient in many new brands of “party pills,” mostly sold over the internet without age restriction. DMAA, Jack3d, OxyElite Pro, and the party pills have been linked to a variety of severe, life-threatening side effects. Cardiovascular events including heart attacks, stroke, cerebral hemorrhage, vomiting, and massive headaches have all been reported. Following the deaths of two soldiers, the U.S. military banned the sale of DMAA-containing products on military bases.

What You Can Do & How a DMAA Party Pill Lawsuit Can Help

The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting DMAA Party Pill induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know has been injured by DMAA Party Pills, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our DMAA Party Pills Litigation Group or call us toll-free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.

UPDATE: FDA Sends Warning Letters to 10 DMAA Manufacturers

April 27, 2012 — Ten different companies that manufacture and distribute products containing DMAA have just received Warning Letters from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA has concluded that “synthetically-produced DMAA is not a ‘dietary ingredient’ and, therefore, is not eligible to be used as an active ingredient in a dietary supplement.” The company is being specifically cited for failing to provide the FDA with a New Dietary Ingredient (NDI) notification. By law, all supplements that contain ingredients introduced after 1994 must provide the FDA with an NDI with evidence of the safety of the ingredient. Because manufacturers have never provided the FDA with this information, supplements containing DMAA are adulterated. Furthermore, the FDA warns that DMAA is known to cause blood vessel constriction, which can elevate blood pressure and increase the risk of deadly heart attacks.

DMAA Party Pills Overview

The term “party pills” is a broad term that refers to a variety of recreational drugs. Originally, they contained the chemical “benzylpiperazine” (BZP), which was a stimulant, euphoric drug that also caused psychosis, renal toxicity, seizures, and death. After most countries banned BZP, manufacturers and users were looking for a replacement. DMAA was initially marketed as a “BZP-free” party pill, and was promoted as a safe and legal way to have an amphetamine-like high without the side effects.

What is DMAA?

DMAA was originally sold over the internet in 2006 by a chemist. The chemist bragged that he had previously supplied designer drugs to BALCO, which is the laboratory that was behind the Barry Bonds doping scandal. Until a federal investigation revealed the scandal in 2002, BALCO was one of the leading suppliers of designer performance enhancing drugs that could evade drug testing among professional athletes.

Though DMAA is mostly sold as a “dietary supplement” for fitness enthusiasts, it was originally mass-produced by the pharmaceutical drug company Eli Lilly in the 1940s. They were looking to use it in a new nasal decongestant spray product under the brand-name Forthane, but the product never became very popular. Though Forthane was soon discontinued, the medical literature found that the effect of DMAA in animals was more potent than ephedrine. Ephedrine was banned after it was linked to deadly cardiovascular events.

DMAA is often listed on product labels under the following names:

• DMAA
• Geranamine, Geranium oil, extract, or any part of the geranium plant
• 1,3-Dimethylamylamine
• 1,3-dimethylpentylamine
• methylhexaneamine (MHA)
• methylhexanamine
• methylhexamine
• 4-methyl-2-hexanamine
• 2-amino-4-methylhexane

Products containing DMAA include:

• USPlabs Jack3d (Tropical Fruit and Lemon Lime)
• USPlabs Oxy Elite Pro
• Nutrex Lipo 6 Black Caps (his and hers)
• Nutrex Lipo 6 Black Ultra Concentrated (his and hers)
• Nutrex Hemo Rage Black Powder (Punch and Berry)
• Isatori PWR
• Muscletech Neurocore
• Muscletech Hydroxyslim
• Fahrenheit Nutrition Lean EFX
• Muscle Warfare Napalm
• All American Efx K-Otic
• SNI Nitric Blast
• BIORhythm SSIN Juice
• Muscle Meds Code Red
• SEI MethylHex (4 and 2)
• Grenade (universal) Grenade
• M.A.P. (iovate) Arson
• Gaspari Nutrition Spirodex

DMAA Banned in New Zealand

December 2010: The New Zealand medical journal describes the case of a 21 year-old man who was out partying with friends, when he took a DMAA party pill. He ingested the recommended dose of 2 tablets of “99.9%-pure DMAA.” He had also taken 150-mg capsule of caffeine and one can of beer. Within 30 minutes, he began complaining of a massive headache and asked his friends to take him home. Soon after, he became confused, incontinent, and vomited for 2-3 hours. The next day, he remained drowsy and had slurred speech, which prompted him to seek treatment at the local emergency department. When he arrived, he was immediately given a brain scan, which revealed a large cerebral hemorrhage. Subsequent studies could not find any biological cause beyond the DMAA in his blood. The man suffered long-term brain damage regarding his memory and abstract reasoning. He also suffered mild impairments of right hand coordination and speech.

Testing of the pills he took revealed the presence of 1,3-dimethylamylamine 278-mg per capsule.

The New Zealand government was also aware of a 45 year-old man who suffered a stroke. The man had DMAA in his bloodstream. They are also aware of cases of serious headaches, vomiting, and nausea in some users. Cases of DMAA injuries spiked in emergency departments following the ban on BZP pills. Four cases in October 2010 prompted the Health Ministry to suspend sales of DMAA in powder-form.

Is DMAA part of the Geranium?

The evidence linking DMAA to the geranium plant is based on one Chinese report that was published in a non-peer-reviewed technical journal in 1996. The authors of the report took dried botanical samples and ran them through a gas-spectrometer. A machine analyzed the gas and automatically identified 40 compounds, including DMAA. The results of this report have never been repeated, though several have tried. The manufacturers of DMAA have never provided an independent scientist with cut and dried botanical samples, so that an unbiased chemist might reproduce the results and verify that DMAA actually comes from a natural source.

Most experts now agree that DMAA is not a natural substance, and is actually a synthetic drug. The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) has banned its members from labeling DMAA as geranium oil, extract, stem, leaf, or any other part of the geranium plant.

DMAA Party Pills Side Effects

Health risks associated with the use of DMAA products include:

• Headaches
• Tremors
• Light-headedness
• Depression
• Dehydration
• Cold sweats
• Increased blood pressure
• Liver and kidney failure
• Loss of consciousness
• Racing heartbeat
• Heart Attack
• Stoke
• Lethal exhaustion
• Death

Do I have a DMAA Party Pill Lawsuit?

The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting DMAA Party Pill induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know has been injured by DMAA Party Pills, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our DMAA Party Pills Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.

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