FDA tainted products database: how to search it before you buy

Search the FDA's Health Fraud Product Database, where the agency lists products it has found to contain hidden drug ingredients, using the product name, the brand's other names and the name of the drug you are worried about. The table updates as you type, so it takes a minute. Finding a product there is a serious warning sign. Not finding it means very little, because the FDA says the list covers only a small fraction of the problem.

This guide shows how to use the database, how to read each column, which search terms work, and what to do next. It is general information, not medical advice. If you take prescription medicines or have a heart condition, ask a doctor or pharmacist before trying any product marketed for weight loss, sexual performance, energy, pain, bodybuilding or sleep.

What is the FDA's tainted products list?

The FDA keeps its findings on contaminated products in the Health Fraud Product Database. Its guidance on hidden ingredients explains the process: if the FDA finds hidden ingredients in a product, it adds the product to that database. Hidden ingredients are, in the agency's words, often prescription drug ingredients, banned substances or harmful chemicals, and using such products can lead to serious side effects and even hospitalization.

The database is broader than supplements alone. It lists unapproved products cited in warning letters, online advisory letters, recalls, public notifications and press announcements. Entries range from products marketed as supplements that claim to treat disease to products with undeclared ingredients. The table also holds skin products with mercury or hydroquinone, so you will see entries that have nothing to do with capsules.

How do you search the Health Fraud Product Database?

1. Open the database page. Find the search box above the table. The FDA notes that table results update automatically as you type.
2. Start with the product name. Try the exact name, then shorter versions. Products are often relisted under variant spellings or extra words like "Plus", "Extreme" or a number.
3. Search the drug name. Type words such as "sibutramine", "sildenafil", "tadalafil", "phenolphthalein" or "undeclared" to see entries that share the same problem. This helps when a brand has changed its name.
4. Search the website. The source column often shows the domain or marketplace where the product was sold. Type the domain of the store you are considering.
5. Search the company. The firm column is often marked "n/a", but when a company is named you can search for it. Our guide to checking a supplement company's address and phone helps you find the legal name.

If you have the database open, spend a minute reading recent rows. You will see the pattern quickly.

What do the columns mean?

Each entry has a date, a product name (linked to an image when one exists), a firm, a firm address, a source or URL, a subject, an action, program areas and sometimes an additional outcome. The two columns worth reading first are the subject and the action.

• Subject names the problem, for example undeclared sibutramine, undeclared sildenafil and tadalafil, undeclared DMAA, or undeclared yohimbine.
• Action shows how the FDA acted: public notification, recall, alert, warning letter or another step. A recall means the product is being pulled or corrected. A public notification is the FDA advising consumers about a lab finding.
• Source or URL tells you where it was sold, sometimes "various distributors" or "international mail shipments".

Many entries show the firm and address as "n/a". That does not mean the product is untraceable, only that the FDA did not publish those details for that entry.

What kinds of hidden ingredients does it list?

Recent entries show the same drug families again and again. Weight loss products with undeclared sibutramine, a drug the FDA says was removed from the market for safety reasons. Men's sexual enhancement products with undeclared sildenafil or tadalafil, the active ingredients of prescription erectile dysfunction drugs. The chemical phenolphthalein in a slimming product. The steroid dexamethasone in a product sold online. And stimulants such as DMAA or yohimbine in other products.

The FDA's notice on one weight loss product says sibutramine is known to significantly raise blood pressure or heart rate in some people, which carries serious risks for people with heart disease, heart failure, irregular heartbeat or stroke, and that the product may also interact in life-threatening ways with other medications. That last point is the real danger of a hidden drug: you cannot tell your doctor about something you do not know you are taking.

The FDA also singles out product types to be especially wary of: sexual enhancement, energy, weight loss, pain, bodybuilding and sleep. Our own men's health category and weight management category cover several of those areas, and the offers there can be compared on what they actually print on the label.

Why does a clean search not mean a product is safe?

The FDA is direct about it. The database "covers only a small fraction" of the contaminated or fraudulent products on the market, and if a product is not on the list, that does not mean it is safe. The agency also says it cannot test these products before they reach the market and can only test as many as possible afterward.

So a search is a screen, not a guarantee. Use it with other signals that the FDA lists, such as claims that seem too good to be true, multiple rave reviews, and the words "herbal" or "all natural" used as reassurance. The FDA says those words do not make a product safe. A product that tells you nothing about its ingredients gives you nothing to cross-check, which is why our reviews score how much of the label is actually disclosed. The ResveraBurn review found no ingredient named in the sales page text, and the Spartamax review found no amount for any of its seven ingredients. Those are transparency findings from our review, not statements about drug contamination. Read how we review for the full method.

What should you do if a product is in the database?

Stop using it, and do not order more. If you have used it and feel unwell, contact a doctor, and bring the package. The FDA asks consumers who believe a supplement caused a serious reaction to stop using it and to report it through its Safety Reporting Portal. Its notices also point people to the MedWatch program to report adverse events.

If you paid by card or through ClickBank, ask for your money back in writing and mention the FDA notice. Our ClickBank refund guide explains the steps. If you think a product you bought contains hidden ingredients, the FDA says you can report a suspicious product to be tested.

Quick checklist before you buy

• Search the brand, the alternate names and the store domain in the database.
• Search the drug names for your product type (weight loss, sexual enhancement, bodybuilding).
• Read the label. If there is no full ingredient list, treat that as a warning.
• Be wary of claims of a "natural" alternative to a prescription drug.
• Tell your doctor or pharmacist about every supplement you take.

FAQ

Is there an FDA list of contaminated supplements?

Yes. The FDA's Health Fraud Product Database includes products with undeclared drug ingredients and other health fraud problems, with the date, subject and action for each entry. The FDA cautions that it lists only a small fraction of products.

Does the FDA test supplements before they are sold?

No. The FDA says it does not approve dietary supplements before they are sold, and it tests as many products as possible once they are on the market.

How can I report a suspicious supplement?

The FDA says you can report a suspicious product so it can be tested for hidden ingredients, and it directs consumers who have had a serious reaction to its Safety Reporting Portal and to MedWatch.

Are products from big online marketplaces safe?

Not necessarily. The FDA says products with hidden ingredients are increasingly appearing on popular online marketplaces, in social media ads and in physical stores, so where a product is sold is not a safety check.