What is it?
Hydroxycut is a weight loss brand that’s available in different forms, with common ingredients such as green coffee bean. They often use this ingredient to show that within 60 days, people lost 10.95 pounds versus a placebo.
The intended benefits of this brand are increased fat loss, energy, and enhanced metabolism. For their caffeine brands, they advise to start with just 1 capsule a day, then eventually building up to 2 capsules twice a day. Their Hydroxycut blend is a proprietary formula featuring fruit, green coffee, and saffron. In this review you’ll learn about the surprising company history, what customers have to say about it, and whether or not it’s a good weight loss supplement. The top 10 diet pills are featured in this comprehensive list.
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Hydroxycut Ingredients and Side Effects
Robusta Coffee Extract (45% (Chlorogenic Acid)
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Papaya
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Blackberry
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Saffron Extract
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Caffeine Anhydrous
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Maqui
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Amla Extract
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Microcrystalline Cellulose
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Dicalcium Phosphate Dihydrate
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Pre-gelatinized Starch
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Stearic Acid
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Titanium Dioxide
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Polyethylene Glycol
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Talc
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Croscarmellose Sodium
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Magnesium Stearate
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Silicon Dioxide
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Robusta Coffee Extract (45% Chlorogenic Acid): Unroasted Robusta coffee, which is a species of coffee bean known for its higher bitterness and acidity.
It’s intended to help improve metabolism and control blood sugar. It can potentially cause side effects that include:
- Insomnia, nausea, and agitation.
- Anxiety, rapid heart rate, and difficulty concentrating.
- Restlessness, ringing in the ears, and headaches.
A study is provided by the manufacturers to show how effective this ingredient is versus a placebo.
The study was funded by a company who sells this extract, so there’s a potential for bias. In this study they took 50 volunteers and made them follow a low calorie diet.
Other unbiased studies have shown this ingredient to be ineffective for weight loss. Examine.com adds:
“seems weakly to moderately effective (on fat loss)”
It’s possible the only reason for fat loss is due to the caffeine.
Saffron Extract: Plant extract that’s used in cooking, as well as a way to improve mood and reduce sickness. Though there isn’t sufficient studies about its use. Web MD adds:
“There isn’t enough information to know how saffron might work”
“Taking large amounts of saffron by mough is POSSIBLY UNSAFE”
Possible side effects include:
- Yellowing of the skin and eyes.
- Poisoning.
- Vomiting, bloody diarrhea, and numbness.
- Death.
When taken at large amounts there have been cases of people dying from this.
Caffeine Anhydrous: Dehydrated form of caffeine that stimulates the central nervous system, it increaseses energy and metabolism.
A full serving of Hydroxycut Pro Clinical, their flagship brand, has 400 mg per daily serving. This is the maximum allowed limit for caffeine, and due to this, the company mentions:
“Do not take within 5 hours of bedtime”
“Consume 8 to 10 glasses of water per day”
This is to avoid both insomnia and dehydration. They also advise to not take any other stimulants, since it would likely raise the risk for serious side effects. Though on its own, it can potentially cause:
- Anxiety, agitation, and pain in the chest.
- Rapid heart rate, tremors, and jitters.
- Cardiovascular damage, insomnia, and restlessness.
- Dehydration, headaches, and mood swings.
Caffeine also has limitations, as Examine.com adds:
“Habitual caffeine use leads to tolerance. This means the effects of caffeine will be diminished… where the only benefit a user experiences is caffeine’s anti-sleep effect”
Therefore, caffeine must be only taken for short periods before it loses its potential weight loss effects.
Certain people are much more sensitive to caffeine, and that’s why it’s advised to slowly introduce this brand, and to not take more than just 1 pill to start with.
Maqui: A berry found in parts of Latin America, it’s used to help with weight loss. However, Web MD adds:
“There isn’t enough information to know if maqui is safe”
The possible side effects are also not known.
Amla Extract: This fruit has been used to lower bad cholesterol, and to provide antioxidant support. Though Examine.com adds:
“there is not enough evidence to recommend Amla for any particular purpose”
There have also been cases of people experiencing liver damage.
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Hydroxycut Quality of Ingredients
Ingredients like amla, maqui, and saffron have not been thoroughly studied and it’s unknown if they would affect weight loss.
Then there’s the added caffeine and green coffee bean which are the key active ingredients. Caffeine can be replaced with coffee or tea for cheaper and green coffee bean hasn’t shown any valuable weight loss effects. Studies have shown it to be either ineffective, or weak in its possible weight loss effects.
For the kinds of ingredients used, the lack of clinical studies for some ingredients, and the unknown side effects of certain additives, this mixture is a poor choice for weight loss. There are far too many unanswered questions to determine what the formula might do.
The Price and Quality of Hydroxycut
Sales are not offered via the manfaucturer, but they do suggest multiple online and in store 3rd party retailers.
Amazon.com sells one 150 capsule bottle for $28.56. At the maximum dosage of 4 capsules a day, this lasts for a total of 37.5 days. This makes the daily cost for supplementation 76 cents.
Though inexpensive, many of the ingredinets in this are either innefective for weight loss, not yet proven, or can be replaced.
There’s a high amount of caffeine in this which isn’t a long lasting source for weight loss. It may also provide side effects. Stimulant free options for long lasting weight loss are available if you click here.
Caffeine at 400 mg is roughly 4 cups of coffee. That’s why special considerations must be put in place to help protect against side effects. Still, the key active ingredients in caffeine and green coffee bean extract aren’t enough to suggest both reliable and safe effects. These two ingredients can also be replaced for much cheaper.
Business of Hydroxycut
The owners of this brand are Iovate Health Sciences Inc. They can be reached via the following:
Phone Number: (888) 334-4448
Address: 381 North Service Road West
Oakville, ON, L6M 0H4 Canada
Email: [email protected]
The company has been in trouble with both the FDA and FTC.
The FTC fined them $5.5 million dollars for making false advertising claims about their supplements. This included stating that their brands had positive health benefits, and because of this, they were required to refund customers who bought supplements from them.
The FDA also sent them a warning letter due to:
“liver toxicity associated with the use of multiple versions of the dietary supplement Hydroxycut”
“Agency has concluded that the ingestion of the dietary supplement Hydroxycut presents a severe potentially life-threatening hazard to some users”
This forced the company to schedule a mandatory recall on all Hydroxycut on the market. There were 23 reports of severe health problems due to this supplement, and one person died from it.
After this, in 2024 and 2024 there were still incidents of heart problems and ulcers associated the use of Hydroxycut.
They currently have 6 complaints on their Better Business Bureau website. This is due to issues with service, the products, and a lack of communication from the company.
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Customer Opinions of Hydroxycut
Here are select reviews from online customers:
“I really don’t have any effect using this product”
“Made me feel super sick and dizzy”
“It’s mostly a glorified caffeine pill”
“I had severe nausea, abdominal pain and felt like my stomach was on fire”
Amazon.com currently features 535 complaints. It’s often mentioned from customers that they experienced side effects, as well as a lack of weight loss.
Common side effects experienced by users include nausea, stomach pain, anxiety, rapid heart rate, restlessness, anxiousness, agitation, and some experienced difficulty breathing.
Many also said this is basically just a caffeine pill, and that it had no noticeable weight loss effects.
Conclusion - Does Hydroxycut Work?
The key features to notice about this brand are the company history, and the kinds of ingredients used. Many customers have failed to see any weight loss benefits, and people describe it as a caffeine pill. This is likely because the only ingredeints in this that might have a weight loss effect are caffeine and green coffee extract. There’s not enough in this to suggest it would help benefit people. The company has also had to recall Hydroxycut due to serious health concerns. There’s also a lot of caffeine added to this, with a full serving providing the maximum recommended dosage strength for caffeine.
Stimulant free options are available, and the 2024 supplement of the year is called Sletrokor.
There’s only natural ingredients added to this blend, with the ability to suppress appetite, increase metabolism, and improve mood. Many users have left great testimonials showcasing how effective and safe it is. This supplement has no artificial ingredients, preservatives, or stimulants of any kind.
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User Feedback
(Page 35 of 41, 802 total comments)Christine
I used Hydroxycut 5 years ago and had amazing results. I didn't change my diet or add scheduled exercise. I ate what I normally did and moved around at my job and school. I did have migraines after two months of use (stopped after that-reached my desired weight anyway) and when I noticed early on that I got the jitters really bad I just went down a step. I worked up to 2 pills twice a day and it was all I could handle and it worked perfectly! Many of you are asking about the diet... Back when I took it, they recommended on the bottle to take a multivitamin. I didn't. Like I said, I didn't do anything different. My appetite plummeted and I actually got nervous about it because I only had a bowel movement once every two weeks because I simply wasn't eating enough. I even started to bruise easily. I got married and started eating more, so now I'm back, but this time I'm taking a multivitamin and since I know it will completely kill my appetite, I'm only putting past my lips the richest, most nourishing of foods. I won't waste my little hunger on trash. For me, and I think most of you, we just have to cut out of our diets what we know we shouldn't be eating, anyway.
posted Mar 3rd, 2008 8:02 amShauna
I've been taking Hydroxycut for about 10 days and I've gained about 3 lbs! The first 2 days were horrible, I had bad headaches and wicked chest pain, the side effects have gone away but I'm disappointed in it. I'm going to finish off the bottle and won't buy it again. BTW, I exercise 4-5 x a week and have been watching what I eat. I only want to lose about 5 lbs.
posted Mar 2nd, 2008 7:57 pmSara
ok so day 2.. took 2 at 5:30 pm instead of the 3 that i took in the morning. by 6ish i did see a small difference in my body and i did sleep like a baby ;-) so far i love it!
posted Mar 2nd, 2008 7:57 pmSara
Well today is day 1, March 1... took the hydroxycut for women and well, i took it at 10 am it's now 11:30... i feel incredibly energetic LOL my fingers are moving faster while typing LOL! can't wait to see how I do while working out... i've read good and bad review regarding side effects, judging by how i'm feeling right now i will probably take it in the morning and one in the afternoon.... and NOT after 6pm! i'll let you know if i lose weight I have a deadline of May 15, my cousin's wedding ;-)
posted Mar 1st, 2008 1:13 pmnancy
It is a great morning work out starters!!
posted Feb 29th, 2008 10:22 amjon
i started hydroxycut hardcore last week, and i can feel the difference... already i eat less so the appetite supression really works for me, also i notice the caffiene boost in the morning when i take two 15-20 mins before my jog... then ill have a protein shake for breakfast.. have another two pills before lunch.. and grab a healthy snack later in the day (fruits or veggies or a 100% fruit smoothie) and i make sure to have the 2 to 3 liters of water a day! mostly this was the kick in the butt i needed to get fit! maybe its the lifestyle change of cutting soda and unhealthy foods, but i feel like hydroxycut definately helps! taking it twice a day is kind of a reminder to myself to stay on track. see you on the beach!
posted Feb 27th, 2008 8:20 pmbrendan
i started takin hydroxycut yesterday. ive been trying really hard to lose weight and have lost 24 pounds since january 18th, so i figure this can help me to get rid of the extra weight. i usually run a mile or two when i work out, after taking hydroxycut yesterday i ran 7 miles. it gave me extra energy so far and made me have less cravings. im very excited for the results in the weeks to come.
posted Feb 26th, 2008 10:10 pmMelissa
i started taking HH about 2 weeks ago & already lost 5 pounds. i can def. see a difference! i have not felt any of the side effects, i take 3 a day and drink lots of water, and it def. helps my appetite.
posted Feb 26th, 2008 4:01 pmVanessa
I am just about to start taking hydroxycut and i am scared of the side effects. do you lose weight quick and get tone too? and does anyone know if it affects birth control pills? and how long do you wait to take the pills b4 working out? and whens the best time to take the pills?
posted Feb 26th, 2008 9:26 amlele
hey i just started taking the hydroxycut hardcore about five days ago....so far noticing a lot of going to the bathroom.dont know if i lost any weigh yet because i didnt want to get on the scale yet......scared it wont be different......if anyone has used the hardcore hydroxycut......how did it work for you
posted Feb 25th, 2008 5:33 pmRachel
I am just now trying Hydroxycut and had a question... you take it 30-60 min before eating but what about working out. It was a little vague. Do you just take it right before like 5 min or do you wait the same period of time like with food? Thanks!!
Lisa
Hi, I read most of these comments.. and most people just drink water... I drink water and V8 and Silk Soy milk... does anyone know if this changes the outcome?
ken j
does it wirk fast can u see results fast?? like does it burn fat good?
MD
People with liver damage (hep B) should be EXTRA careful about taking any form of diet pills. Read the warning labels CAREFULLY.
labluebabe
hi there i bought it this past week and i lost 4lbs too...i like it so far. I take only 2 a day...just morning and lunch...skip dinner. 1st night i was awake at 4.30am. had lots of energy. working out moderately. running about a mile a day 30min exercise. it is doing well. will let you know more progress. thnx.
New-B
I'm considering buying Hydroxycut! Would you say yay or nay? Caffeine makes me nervous and i'm very sensitive to it....if I drank plenty of water would it help? Or should I try something else?
b
does hydroxy cut give you heartburn?
Dan
Hydroxycut is good stuff been using it for about two weeks and i`ve lost 15lbs.Have`nt gotten any side effects but as far as i know if you dont eat right and dont drink enough water and get excercise your blood pressure goes through the roof.
Anonymous
I have used this product more than once and it is my diet pill of choice!! I have tried many different products and this one is the best I have found. I had to lose weight when I decided to join the military and hit my plateu and no matter how much I worked out I was still hungry, and wasn't losing any weight. From day 1 hydroxcut hardcore helped curb my hunger cravings, and gave me a little boost of energy to go work out. It isn't a magic pill but helped me lose the 10lbs I needed to within 3 weeks. I still worked out but I didn't have to stay at the gym as long. This is my second time taking it, just trying to take off a few extra pounds before I do my physical training test and it is working great again!!! I also haven't had any bad side effects like I did with others. I swear by it!!
terminator
Any product that include caffeine will race your heart.Moving around and eating the right food and getting enough sleep will make your heart stronger,and no side effects.