Unsafe Drugs: Teen Blames Stroke on Banned Supplement

Joseph Stern was a dedicated and promising young football player. "I wanted to be on varsity as a junior," he said. "To me, that was a big accomplishment. But unfortunately, I never got to be able to accomplish it." However, his dreams never will be fulfilled because Stern suffered a stroke at the age of 16. Stern and his parents believe that his stroke likely was caused by a supplement he was taking; an ingredient in "ma huang" also known as "ephedra."

Teen Suffers Stroke, Blames Banned Supplement

The Sterns have filed a lawsuit against a north Dallas store where Joseph bought the product, alleging that the storekeepers led Joseph to believe that the product was safe and without health risks. Joseph says he was told that the supplement would "make him faster; lose weight; get stronger." However, the Food and Drug Administration banned the substance years ago after finding that the herbal supplement raises blood pressure and places stress on the circulatory system and has been linked to heart attacks and strokes. The Sterns ask why the product Joseph purchased was available after the ban: store owner Marc Norsworthy says that "I'm not aware that we were selling products with Ephedra that the FDA banned."