The FDA issued a warning about WOW, a supplement that was found to contain unlabeled prescription ingredients. Marketed as a remedy for arthritis, bone cancer, muscle pain and osteoporosis, it was sold at several websites catering to people seeking natural and drug-free alternatives.
According to the FDA WOW was simply the relabeled version of Reumofan Plus. The FDA had issued warnings against them in June and August 2012 because of the mild to serious side effects from the adulterated product.
Spiked Supplements
By the way, “unlabeled prescription ingredients” in supplements is a nice way of saying that your natural product was spiked with unknown and potentially dangerous drugs.
Some of the ingredients found in the “natural” WOW/Reumofan Plus product include:
- Dexamethasone – a corticosteroid anti-inflammatory related to prednisone
- Diclofenac – a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) related to ibuprofen
- Methocarbamol – a muscle relaxant similar to baclofen
Um, yeah.
Dexamethasone is the type of drug that you have to taper off of slowly to avoid problems with adrenal hormones. The problems may just be the worsening of adrenal fatigue, fatigue, joint pain, headaches and more, but can also lead to organ failure and in extreme cases death. It’s kind of a big deal.
Diclofenac has multiple drug interactions, and is supposed to come with a med guide. Side effects include increased risk of heart attack and stroke, bleeding in stomach, ulcers, ringing in the ears, and more. By the way, the risk for many of these side effects is increased when taken with a corticosteroid–like dexamethasone.
Methocarbamol can impair driving, cause seizures, and shouldn’t be used in people with kidney or liver problems.
Unsafe Secret
These unlabeled prescription ingredients will work on arthritis, muscle pain, and the pain from osteoporosis. How the product was intended to remedy bone cancer isn’t clear, however.
Safety is a big concern, because these drugs can have serious side effects and drug interactions. The danger is doubled when you don’t even know that you’re taking these drugs.
Who can you trust?
Professional Only Supplements
Problems like this are one reason why I recommend professional supplements. Now let’s be clear: adulteration could happen to any product; but I carefully select suppliers with excellent quality control and a focus on science. These products are available through health care practitioners only, and are guaranteed to contain what the label says they contain—and no more. Sometimes you can find these professional only supplements from sources other than health-care practitioners, but who knows where and how they’ve been stored, if they’ve been adulterated, or if they are still in-date and potent.
To ensure your safety and the effectiveness of your supplements, stick with trusted sources such as professional-only supplements.
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Hi,
Curious if anyone has looked into Artiking which makes me wonder if this is another re-labeled product of Reumofan Plus. Everything I read sounds just like Artiking where your pain almost immediately disappears. If you happen to know where I can get a supplement checked out to see what is really in the product please let me know.
Independent testing can be done, but typically it is cost-prohibitive for the average consumer. A quick internet search will reveal testing labs in your area.
Looking for independent certifications from places such as NSF is a pretty good surrogate for independent testing.