An over-the-counter medication, phenylpropanolamine (PPA), commonly used in diet and cold medicines has been recalled by the Food and Drug Administration.

See the emails here.

Yes, though the FDA has asked for drug companies to discontinue the use of PPA in medications, it has not asked that products containing PPA be recalled.

The Yale University School of Medicine conducted a wide study that showed people taking PPA had an increased risk of suffering hemorrhagic stroke. The FDA decided that the increased risk of stroke, though very small, warranted steps to prevent the use of PPA in medications.

While this is one of the rare cases of relatively accurate medical information in a widely forwarded email, forwarded email remains a very poor source of health information and a very unreliable way to disseminate health warnings.

• Phenylpropanolamine (PPA) Information Page from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
• Questions and Answers: Safety of Phenylpropanolamine from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration

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