Ventricular Tachycardia Precipitated by the Use of the Diet Supplement Hydroxycut Gummies

Abstract

Background: Dietary supplements have a long history of causing adverse effects. Ventricular arrhythmias have not been described with Hydroxycut Gummies. Objective: To report a case of ventricular arrhythmia after prolonged use of a popular dietary supplement, Hydroxycut Gummies. Case Report: An 18-year-old female with no significant past medical history presented with lifethreatening ventricular arrhythmia following about 10 days of use of Hydroxycut Gummies, a legal dietary supplement previously unreported to cause this complication. The patient received external cardioversion due to progressive decline in mental status and persistent hypotension and was initiated on intravenous procainamide at an outside hospital. Left ventricular ejection fraction was 45% to 50%, and cardiac MRI showed no definite finding of infarct, myocarditis, or fibrosis. Beta-blocker therapy was initiated, and there was a progressive reduction in ventricular arrhythmia burden with an improvement of symptoms over the next few days. Two and a half months after the initial hospitalization, follow-up Holter monitor revealed occasional accelerated idioventricular rhythm events and a significant reduction in, but still occasional, long monomorphic ventricular tachycardia events. None of the ingredients listed in this product have been associated with cardiac dysrhythmias in the literature. One phytochemical potentially in the product is alpha-quinidine, which could be the cause of the adverse event. However, there was no other identifiable etiology for the ventricular tachycardia, which resolved after the discontinuation of supplement and the addition of beta-blocker therapy. Conclusion: Hydroxycut Gummies should be considered a probable cause of this patient's arrhythmia given the lack of another etiology and a Naranjo Scale score of 6.

The risky side of weight-loss dietary supplements: disrupting arrhythmias causing sudden cardiac arrest

“…Hammond et al reported a case of ventricular tachycardia in a young woman. Olive leaf alpha-quinidine (a class-1 anti-arrhythmic agent) was suggested as the trigger due to its proarrhythmogenic properties 10. Although olive leaf extract (olea europaea) is an ingredient of some of the Hydroxycut products, it was not present in the product consumed by our patient.…”

Accelerated Idioventricular Rhythm at the Termination of an Episode of Vasospastic Angina

“…It has been used as a marker of successful reperfusion after thrombolytic therapy in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) since 1950s [ 6 - 8 ]. It has also been described in healthy subjects, structural heart disease, lupus, pregnancy, spontaneous coronary artery dissection, hyperkalemia, dietary supplements such as hydroxycut gummies, as well as medications including digitalis and desflurane [ 6 , 9 - 13 ]. Its clinical importance has been mainly in the prediction of successful thrombolysis after STEMI with a sensitivity of 45% and a specificity of 65% [ 7 ].…”

Asystole caused by Hydroxycut Hardcore: A case report and literature review

“…Likewise, a more recent article in 2015 written by Hammond et al. described a case of ventricular tachycardia in an 18‐year‐old healthy female who was taking Hydroxycut Gummies for 10 days (Hammond et al., ). The patient in our case report had severe life‐threatening sinus arrest attributed to the use of Hydroxycut Hardcore after a negative extensive workup.…”