Tag Archives: fda

FDA Considers Putting The Morning-After Pill On Drugstore Shelves

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Conservatives losing their marbles to start in five … four … three … two … one: the FDA has until tomorrow to decide whether the morning-after pill Plan B will be available on drugstore shelves (as opposed to behind the counter) without a prescription for anyone of any age. If taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex, Plan B is almost 90 percent effective in preventing a pregnancy. The sooner Plan B is taken after unprotected sex, the more effective it is. Keep reading »

Hair Horrors: Brazilian Blowouts Are Banned!

Good luck getting your hair straightened via Brazilian Blowout after next week — the Food and Drug Administration has come down hardcore on the hair straightening company for the high amount of formaldehyde found in its product. According to the FDA, the amount of formaldehyde found in Brazilian Blowout and similar hair straightening treatments is considered dangerous when inhaled and both salon workers and customers have complained of a variety of ailments related to the product’s use. Keep reading »

Don’t “Man Up Now,” Guys: It Might Make You Faint

Time to stock up on the Horny Goat Weed instead, you guys! (Just kidding.) The FDA issued a warning on Wednesday for Man Up Now, a “dietary supplement for men’s sexual arousal” because it could dangerously lower blood pressure. Although Man Up Now capsules market themselves as “all natural” and “herbal,” they contain an active drug found in Viagra called sulfoaildenafil. Sulfoaildenafil can cause blood pressure to plummet through the carpet and make you dizzy and lightheaded. So stop operating heavy machinery, you randy little minxes, and ditch your Man Up Now pills immediately, per FDA request. Keep reading »

FDA Tells Alcoholic Energy Drinks To Ditch The Caffeine — Or Else

It’s like Prohibition for sloppy drunk college kids! Hot on the heels of Phusion Projects voluntarily offering to remove caffeine from its “blackout in a can” drink Four Loko yesterday morning, the FDA has also warned four alcoholic energy drink makers that they all must either stop adding caffeine or kill the products. Phusion Projects, Charge Beverages (which makes Core High Gravity drinks), New Century Brewing (which makes Moonshot) and United Brands (which makes Joose) all received warning letters threatening to seize the alcoholic energy drinks from stores and to get a judge to ban their sales. The combo of liquor and caffeine causes “a state of wide-awake drunk” which can lead to “hazardous and life-threatening situations,” the FDA warned. Understatement of the year, you think? Keep reading »

Last Call On Canned Crazy: FDA May Issue Warning Against Alcoholic Energy Drinks Like Four Loko

Stock up on your Four Loko now, kiddies! (Just kidding.) Following a string of deaths and near-deaths around the country related to alcoholic energy drinks, the FDA might crack down on manufacturers as soon as tomorrow. The FDA has been reviewing the safety of these “blackout in a can” drinks for a year. But it’s getting a kick in the pants to act more quickly now that the liquor authorities in several states — such as Washington, where nine college kids recently fell ill — are in various stages of banning the party drinks. Distributors are closing in as well: New York’s largest beer distributor announced yesterday that it would stop selling alcoholic energy drinks and it will clear its inventory by December 10th. Keep reading »

Straight From The FDA, The Truth About Organic Cosmetics

When you pick up a fancy “organic” powder, do you actually know what that means? We don’t. But we somehow have the impression that it’s a more wholesome and healthy product produced in a verdant field, far, far away from any industrial factories. Time to get educated. A recent report released by the FDA sets the record straight about what the organic label means.

What qualifies a beauty product as organic? Well[FDA.gov] Keep reading »

Quickies!: The Feds Try To Take A Tot’s Illicit Drugs

  • The Food and Drug Administration is demanding Cheerios change its advertising that says the cereal will reduce cholesterol by 4 percent or risk being removed from market shelves. [Dumb As A Blog] — Way to get in bed with the drug industry, FDA!
  • Tahlia Brookins, 18, from the most recent cycle of “America’s Next Top Model” is pregnant. “I was told multiple times over and over that I couldn’t get pregnant … My initial reaction to my pregnancy was shock,” she said. [PopEater] — Good thing she was eliminated.
  • Judge Wade McCree in Detroit has a rather novel idea for sentencing fathers who don’t pay their child support. He makes them watch “Maury Povich” at least once a month instead of going to jail. “Some of these men in my court watch the show and see how ridiculous some of the deadbeats look, and then they realize it’s them,” he explained. [Perez Hilton]
  • Keep reading »

    Hold That Diet Pill!

    Hold that diet pill! The Food & Drug Administration recently recalled a whole slew of diet products made by Universal ABC Beauty Supply International due to safety concerns.

    The company didn’t officially declare the products contain an ingredient called Sibutramine. While Sibutramine is FDA-approved for weight loss, the FDA says products containing it must be labeled as such because it can “substantially increase blood pressure and/or pulse rate in some patients.” Yeesh.

    Thirty-four of the company’s different dieting products are coming off the shelves. The most recognizable among them is Slim Fast. Other products include Slim Express, Royal Slimming Formula, and Body Creator. All products can be returned to the store you bought them from for a full or partial refund. Get rid of those diet pills, and play it safe—blogger’s orders. You know there are healthy and do-able ways to fit into a size six that aren’t dangerous. It’s not worth it to put your health at risk. [FDA] Keep reading »

    Yaz Is Not A Miracle Drug

    You won’t be seeing Yaz birth control ads on TV anymore — or at least not the ones that the pharmaceutical company Bayer has been using. On October 3, the FDA issued a warning letter to the company, telling Bayer its ads overstate the benefits of Yaz. While the drug is approved for symptoms related to treatment of premenstrual dysphoric disorder, or PMDD, it is not approved for the treatment of the less serious premenstrual syndrome, or PMS. Similarly, Yaz is approved for the treatment of moderate acne, but the FDA said the ad suggests it is approved for acne of all severities. Just another reason not believe everything you hear on TV. [Medical News Today]
    Keep reading »

    The Little Blue Pill Might Help Women With The Blues

    While Viagra is an invention that has helped grandpas around the country get it back up for their spouses, nurses, and right hands, it now may be able to help women too! A recent eight-week experiment, funded by pharmaceutical company Pfizer, followed 98 women who were having trouble orgasming due to antidepressant medication. They were given Viagra and asked to have sex once a week with the pill’s aide. Seventy-two percent of the girls gave the erectile dysfunction drug the thumbs up! Although it didn’t increase their libido, the ladies reported that it did help them climax. But the findings certainly have some critics — 27% of the women in the control group who were given a placebo pill also reported satisfaction. However, despite shelling out cash for the study, Pfizer says it will not seek FDA approval for females to use Viagra, since it concluded in 2004 that there were no explicit benefits. If you’re still searching for a pick-me-up that’ll work with your antidepressant, there’s a clitoral therapy device approved by the FDA already, and libido-enhancing LibiGel is currently being tested. It looks like women will have plenty of options without having to pop pills like Bob Dole. [Orlando Sentinel] Keep reading »