About PPA - Phenylpropanolamine

In late 2000, the FDA announced it would begin to ban products containing PPA. PPA had been used as an ingredient in prescription and over-the-counter cold remedies and appetite suppressants for over 50 years. Although there had been signs of potential problems for many years, they were not acted upon until a 5-year Yale University study found the risk of suffering a stroke in women taking such products was significantly increased, and men were also at risk.

The Yale study found that women ages 18-49 who took appetite suppressants containing PPA were 16 times more likely to have a hemorrhagic stroke than other women. Women who used cold or cough remedies containing PPA for the first time had a threefold increased risk of hemorrhagic stroke. While the study highlighted the dangers of PPA for women, experts consider men and children to be at greater risk as well.

Since consumers were unaware of the dangers of PPA, many people who suffered hemorrhagic strokes never associated their stroke with their use of these products. Likewise, medical personnel are not likely to have made a connection between strokes and PPA prior to 2000.