Cerebral hemorrhage associated with phenylpropanolamine in combination with caffeine.
Phenylpropanolamine (PPA) is a drug that has been associated with serious side effects including stroke. It is often combined with caffeine in diet preparations and "look-alike" pills. In order to determine if PPA/caffeine can lead to stroke in normotensive and/or hypertensive rats, we administered the combination in six times the allowed human dose calculated on a per weight basis for the rats two times per day for five days. Subarachnoid and cerebral hemorrhage was noted in 18% of the hypertensive rats. A single PPA/caffeine administration (same dose) lead to acute hypertension in both the normotensive and hypertensive animals. These results suggest that PPA/caffeine can lead to cerebral hemorrhage in previously hypertensive animals when administered in greater than the allowed dosage. An acute elevation in blood pressure may be a contributing factor.
D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D002110:Caffeine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000633:toxicity*; D002543:Cerebral Hemorrhage / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004338:Drug Combinations; D005260:Female; D006973:Hypertension / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D004366:Nonprescription Drugs / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000633:toxicity; D010665:Phenylpropanolamine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000633:toxicity*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013997:Time Factors
D004338:Drug Combinations; D004366:Nonprescription Drugs; D010665:Phenylpropanolamine; D002110:Caffeine