Hey, thanks for the mention, Pardalis.
Perhaps some relevant info about Trimspa that I posted in that thread:
There is very little information available about at least one of Trimspa's main ingredients: Hoodia gordonii. It's a plant that has been used by indigenous South Africans for its appetite suppressant effects. I saw some reports of potential liver toxicity and interactions with medications but no real studies one way or the other. A Pfizer rep in one article is quoted as saying that her company has done studies on Hoodia and is quite concerned about the evidence they uncovered for potential for liver toxicity, saying that people should be "very wary" about consuming products containing the plant. Again, however, I couldn't find any published studies. In someone who appeared drunk much of the time (and admitted to problems with alcohol), any small threat of liver toxicity could have been magnified by her habits.
The daily dose of Trimspa contains the equivalent of two to three 8oz cups of coffee a day (depending on what "dosing" regimen you choose). Depending on how many other stimulants (coffee or otherwise) a person consumed, this could have a negative impact.
Trimspa also contains naringin, a grapefruit extract, which can interfere with the metabolism of a huge number of prescription drugs so much that toxic levels may result. Some of these are
sedatives (like valium),
antidepressants,
methadone,
caffeine (already in Trimspa), estrogen, proton pump inhibitors (like the popular "little purple pill"), many popular diabetes meds, epilepsy meds, antipsychotics, blood pressure meds, HIV meds, cholesterol meds,
cocaine. I could go on, but you get the idea.
Who knows what else she put in her system that could have interacted with Trimspa? Of course, in her case, she may have had any number of the above meds/drugs in her system with the Trimspa (likely candidates are in
bold above), so what was really at fault? She certainly didn't treat her body well - with or without Trimspa.
