# OxyElite Pro-Safe? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 12, 2011, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oxyelite-pro-safe/605929 "2011-12-12T18:05:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![rogerbox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@rogerbox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rogerbox)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oxyelite-pro-safe/605929/1 "2011-12-12T18:05:49Z")
I’ve been taking diet pills “Oxy Elite Pro” for about a month. I’m worried a bit about the safety. Online I can only find sites selling it or “review” sites that could easily be written by shills for the product. The ingredients are listed as Bauhinia Purpurea L. (Leaf and Pod) extract, Bacopa (leaf)(Bacopa Monnieri) Extract, 1,3-Dimethylamylamine HCI, Cirsium Oligophyllum (Plant) extract, Rauwolscine HCI, caffiene 100mg. I take 3x daily as directed. I notice my appetite is supressed (a good thing for me) but I do feel twitchy sometimes when I am trying to go to sleep, but I am an insomniac anyways so it’s not a big difference. ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oxyelite-pro-safe/605929/2 "2011-12-12T19:12:09Z")
My friends and I have taken it on and off since college (for everything from weight loss to OH-GOD-I-MUST-STAY-AWAKE-AND-FINISH-THIS-PAPER pills) and have found it far more agreeable than other similar pills. That said, recently Amazon sent out a warning, saying they were pulling OEP because the Canadian government found something in it that wasn’t listed in the ingredients. Here is the email I received: > [@](#): > > Greetings from [Amazon.com](http://Amazon.com). > > We have recently learned that Health Canada Consumer Product Safety (CPSR), has issued a warning against OxyELITE Pro capsules. Our records indicate that you have purchased one of the products listed in this product safety notification through the [Amazon.com](http://Amazon.com) website. > > The product safety warning involves the OxyELITE Pro capsules. OxyELITE Pro capsules are promoted as having “super thermogenic” (weight loss) properties. > > OxyELITE Pro capsules were found to contain undeclared yohimbine. Yohimbine is a prescription drug used to treat abnormal blood pressure. > > Customers who have purchased this product are advised not to use the product, and should consult with a health care professional if they have concerns about their health related to the use of these products. > > You may also find additional details about the product safety warning in the CPSR bulletin at: [http://hc-sc.gc.ca/ahc-asc/media/advisories-avis/\_fpa-ape\_2011/2011-139-eng.php](http://hc-sc.gc.ca/ahc-asc/media/advisories-avis/_fpa-ape_2011/2011-139-eng.php) > > If you purchased this item for someone else, please notify the recipient immediately and provide them with the information in the CPSR bulletin concerning these safety issues. > > We regret the inconvenience this has caused you but trust you will understand that the safety of our customers is our highest priority. > > Thanks for shopping at [Amazon.com](http://Amazon.com). > > Sincerely, > > Customer Service > [Amazon.com](http://Amazon.com) > [www.amazon.com](http://www.amazon.com) So, you may also want posters here to review the yohimbine (the unlisted ingredient) and weigh the effects of that one, too, since that’s the one that seems to be unsafe. I’m amazed you can take the three a day though. Even when I was regularly taking those pills, more than 2 a day would leave me a twitching, tweaked out mess. ---
**Author:** ![rogerbox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@rogerbox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rogerbox)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oxyelite-pro-safe/605929/3 "2011-12-12T20:21:01Z")
Well I’m about 195lbs right now so not a small guy, and in general I have a very high tolerance for medications. But I really have a REALLY hard time losing weight with just diet and excercise, so I plan to lose 20-30 more lbs and then I will probably lay off…thanks for the response. ---
**Author:** ![Insane\_mainframe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/d2c977/32.png) [@Insane\_mainframe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Insane_mainframe)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2012, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oxyelite-pro-safe/605929/4 "2012-06-06T09:52:31Z")
I have been taking them for two weeks now, and have lost a stone. (which is a bit fast but I am exercising and dieting at the same time). There are cases where people have taken this and combined them with other diet pills like “jack3d” and as a result have died. But this is only in extreme cases, scientist believe that the ingredient dimethylamylamine, an ingredient which is in dispute with the American government wether this ingredient should be listed as a drug, in which the companies making these pills would have to get permission to sell there pills. So really you are only in danger iff combine 2 normally doses of this ingridient. But just taking Oxyelite pro should be fine, and I’m normally quite sensitive towards caffeine, but instead of making me hyper the pills have just made me happier and skinnier with no complications that I can see in the near future. Good luck hope you have the same results as I did. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2012, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oxyelite-pro-safe/605929/5 "2012-06-06T11:21:11Z")
> [@Insane\_mainframe](#): > > scientist believe that the ingredient dimethylamylamine, an ingredient which is in dispute with the American government wether this ingredient should be listed as a drug Of course it’s a drug. The question is whether it’s harmful, and [the answer is a resounding ‘possibly’](http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-1258-DIMETHYLAMYLAMINE.aspx?activeIngredientId=1258&activeIngredientName=DIMETHYLAMYLAMINE): > [@](#): > > Due to safety concerns, dimethylamylamine has been temporarily removed from military stores in the US. Its use has been linked to several reports of serious, life-threatening side effects. Also: > [@](#): > > Some products claim that dimethylamylamine naturally comes from rose geranium oil. Supplements that contain this ingredient sometimes list rose geranium, geranium oil, or geranium stems on the label. However, laboratory analysis shows that this drug probably does not come from this natural source. It is thought that these manufacturers have artificially added this drug to the supplement rather than obtaining it from a natural source. That’s just a little slimy. Doesn’t _directly_ reflect on the drug, but, still, be _very, very careful_ whenever you buy something marketed as a ‘supplement’. [From Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methylhexanamine): > [@](#): > > In April 1944, Eli Lilly and Company trademarked methylhexanamine under Forthane for potential use as a nasal decongestant. Forthane was also patented as a nasal decongestant and a treatment for hypertrophied or hyperplasic oral tissues[5] Aside from patent applications, there is no known reference to Methylhexanamine use in historical medical literature, and there is no recognized medical use of Methylhexanamine today. > > [snip] > > A large number of supplements focusing on fat loss and workout energy now use the ingredient in concert with other substances such as caffeine, a combination similar to the combination of [Ephedrine and Caffeine](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ECA_stack), of which the former ingredient is now banned in a number of countries. > > [snip] > > The US military issued a massive recall of all methylhexanamine-containing products from all military exchange stores worldwide, after two soldiers suffered fatal heart attacks during training in 2010. Methylhexanamine was found in their blood. ---
**Author:** ![cwnm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/94ad74/32.png) [@cwnm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cwnm)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oxyelite-pro-safe/605929/6 "2013-01-09T15:33:34Z")
I was 260 lbs in July of 2011. I gave up soda and swam 3 times a week. Lost 10 lbs in 3 months. I got serious about exercise, walking, and swimming together with better diet in Oct of 2011 and began losing a lb a week and hit a wall New Years 2012 at 235lbs. Then I began taking Slim Quick - another brand of fat burner. But only once a day, and only for a few weeks at a time because I was skeptical of all supplements. June 1 - 11 months later - I had lost 40 lbs… and my body was used to that level of exericise - so I stalled again. I began taking Oxy Elite because my daughter said it was stronger, more controversial, and would jump start my weight loss. It did. But - and that’s a BIG BUT - I only took one a day - and it gave me the energy to increase my workouts. I found out I wasn’t happy until I went to the treadmill, or on 2 mile hikes with the dogs. This new level of activity was the new normal for me. So I went on and off the pills as necessary - because I do not like taking anything. I’ve had ONE bottle of Oxylite for 3 months now… I go on and off as I “get serious” about a new level of exercise and discipline about eating. My weight loss has been on again off again – but when I took a cruise and gained 4 lbs at Christmas… it came off in 3 days. I went to France for a month and gained 5 lbs… and it came off in 3-4 days. Gradual, measured weight loss, together with moderate use of stimulants, and an ever increasing awareness of diet change… and I’m now 206. That’s 54 lbs in 18 months… and I have never EVER had any side effects from either of the above brands. Now I can RUN – a mile… a slow jog… 3.9 miles per hour… but I can JOG! I have tried without the Oxy… and I don’t have the energy. WITH the oxy… again only one a day… and if I go in the AM… I can always reach new goals. BUT I am also a much different person today than 18 months ago. Moderation and exercise… and discipline. Listen to your body. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oxyelite-pro-safe/605929/7 "2013-01-09T22:00:41Z")
It made my hands shake and I had a hard time concentrating. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oxyelite-pro-safe/605929/8 "2013-01-09T22:05:40Z")
Medical advice is best suited to IMHO. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![C6541](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90db22/32.png) [@C6541](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C6541)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oxyelite-pro-safe/605929/9 "2013-01-09T22:34:50Z")
> [@cwnm](#): > > I was 260 lbs in July of 2011. I gave up soda and swam 3 times a week. Lost 10 lbs in 3 months. > > I got serious about exercise, walking, and swimming together with better diet in Oct of 2011 and began losing a lb a week and hit a wall New Years 2012 at 235lbs. > > Then I began taking Slim Quick - another brand of fat burner. But only once a day, and only for a few weeks at a time because I was skeptical of all supplements. > > June 1 - 11 months later - I had lost 40 lbs… and my body was used to that level of exericise - so I stalled again. I began taking Oxy Elite because my daughter said it was stronger, more controversial, and would jump start my weight loss. > > It did. > > But - and that’s a BIG BUT - I only took one a day - and it gave me the energy to increase my workouts. I found out I wasn’t happy until I went to the treadmill, or on 2 mile hikes with the dogs. This new level of activity was the new normal for me. > > So I went on and off the pills as necessary - because I do not like taking anything. I’ve had ONE bottle of Oxylite for 3 months now… I go on and off as I “get serious” about a new level of exercise and discipline about eating. > > My weight loss has been on again off again – but when I took a cruise and gained 4 lbs at Christmas.. it came off in 3 days. I went to France for a month and gained 5 lbs… and it came off in 3-4 days. > > Gradual, measured weight loss, together with moderate use of stimulants, and an ever increasing awareness of diet change… and I’m now 206. > > That’s 54 lbs in 18 months… and I have never EVER had any side effects from either of the above brands. > > Now I can RUN – a mile… a slow jog… 3.9 miles per hour… but I can JOG! > > I have tried without the Oxy… and I don’t have the energy. WITH the oxy.. again only one a day… and if I go in the AM… I can always reach new goals. > > BUT I am also a much different person today than 18 months ago. > > Moderation and exercise… and discipline. Listen to your body. Am I the only one who doesn’t trust a person registering to make glowing reviews of dietary drugs? ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oxyelite-pro-safe/605929/10 "2013-01-09T22:41:47Z")
No. But to be fair, I don’t trust you yet either. ---
**Author:** ![C6541](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90db22/32.png) [@C6541](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C6541)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oxyelite-pro-safe/605929/11 "2013-01-09T22:48:12Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > No. But to be fair, I don’t trust you yet either. That’s fair, of course I’m not offering much in the way of anything. I mainly lurk. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oxyelite-pro-safe/605929/12 "2013-01-09T22:55:38Z")
Two words, more or less: **fen-phen**. I love the examples of humanity who will put any fraggin’ substance on earth in their mouth if some fast-talking hater of the medical establishment claims it will cause weight loss, and believe it must be safe because some class of dirt-ignorant peasants without access to real medical care uses it. ---
**Author:** ![C6541](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90db22/32.png) [@C6541](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C6541)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oxyelite-pro-safe/605929/13 "2013-01-09T23:04:00Z")
> [@NitroPress](#): > > Two words, more or less: **fen-phen**. > > I love the examples of humanity who will put any fraggin’ substance on earth in their mouth if some fast-talking hater of the medical establishment claims it will cause weight loss, and believe it must be safe because some class of dirt-ignorant peasants without access to real medical care uses it. Phenteramine is still approved for weight loss, but serotonin (of the 5-HT2B subtype) agonists (fenfluramine in th fen-phen) are now known to have the capability of producing pulmonary hypertension. Same thing in regards to the aminorexs (4-MAR). What I’ve seen is a lot of people that use these drugs to lose weight inevitably gain the weight back and sometimes more, I used a lot of amphetamine (not to use weight) and I’ll tell you what, when you quit taking them your hunger comes back with a fury. ---
**Author:** ![rogerbox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@rogerbox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rogerbox)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oxyelite-pro-safe/605929/14 "2013-01-09T23:57:20Z")
> [@NitroPress](#): > > Two words, more or less: **fen-phen**. > > I love the examples of humanity who will put any fraggin’ substance on earth in their mouth if some fast-talking hater of the medical establishment claims it will cause weight loss, and believe it must be safe because some class of dirt-ignorant peasants without access to real medical care uses it. Who are you talking about? As the OP that certainly doesn’t describe me, and I can’t even picture which particular group you are thinking. Most diet pill users I know are middle aged women who also go to real doctors as well. The people I know for whom " believe it must be safe because some class of dirt-ignorant peasants without access to real medical care uses it." holds appeal aren’t talking about Diet pills since… dirt poor peasants typically want to GAIN weight. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2013, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oxyelite-pro-safe/605929/15 "2013-01-10T00:10:54Z")
> [@rogerbox](#): > > Who are you talking about? As the OP that certainly doesn’t describe me… Oh, someone else was taking that mix of stuff? The stuff for which you can’t find any medically valid cites? The stuff you’re worried is being shilled at you? Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![rogerbox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@rogerbox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rogerbox)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2013, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oxyelite-pro-safe/605929/16 "2013-01-10T04:52:18Z")
I can’t quite make out what exact point you think you’re making, but I’m quite sure of one thing: You’re very, very angry sitting at your computer. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2013, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oxyelite-pro-safe/605929/17 "2013-01-10T13:46:45Z")
The “twitchy feeling” the OP describes (and quite possibly the weight loss effect too) is likely due to taking caffeine three times a day. I would stay the hell away from multi-ingredient weight loss supplements, and even more so avoid any formulated in a foreign country, particularly China. There have been lots of cases where these products have been found to be [adulterated with prescription drugs](http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp0904768'), which can be dangerous if you have a diagnosed or undiagnosed medical condition that makes you susceptible to deleterious effects. _“In August 2009, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) discovered more products, most of them labeled as dietary supplements, that contain a wide variety of undeclared active pharmaceutical ingredients. Now, more than 140 contaminated products have been identified, but these represent only a fraction of the contaminated supplements on the market. Unfortunately, lenient regulatory oversight of dietary supplements, combined with the FDA’s lack of resources, has created a marketplace in which manufacturers can introduce hazardous new products with virtual impunity. Although manufacturers have since 2007 been required to report serious supplement-related adverse events to the FDA, the great majority of the estimated 50,000 adverse events that occur annually remain unreported.”_ ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2013, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oxyelite-pro-safe/605929/18 "2013-01-10T15:02:58Z")
> [@rogerbox](#): > > I can’t quite make out what exact point you think you’re making, but I’m quite sure of one thing: You’re very, very angry sitting at your computer. Still reeling from the news that an Xbox Gold subscription costs money. Give him time. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2013, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oxyelite-pro-safe/605929/19 "2013-01-10T15:18:17Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > Still reeling from the news that an Xbox Gold subscription costs money. Give him time. **sigh** You don’t find the OP’s cluelessness even a little bit amusing?