FDA: Vitamin B-50 Supplement Tests Positive for Steroids
By Kristin J. Kelley
The FDA has cautioned against using a vitamin B-50 supplement sold online and in stores (Healthy Life Chemistry by Purity First) because it has tested positive for two potentially harmful anabolic steroids — dimethazine and methasterone.
The warning follows 29 reports of supplement-related adverse incidents, including fatigue, myalgia, missed menstruation (in women) and low testosterone (in men). The manufacturer has refused a request to recall the product voluntarily, Reuters reports.
Clinicians should question patients about their dietary supplement use, especially patients displaying warning signs and adverse reactions associated with steroid use (e.g., blood clots, kidney failure, liver injury, stroke).
