Chattem, Inc., the manufacturer of Icy Hot products has issued a recall of their “heat therapy” products due to reports of skin irritation and first, second and third degree burns. Ouch!
Here are the recalled products:
1. Icy Hot Heat Therapy Air Activated Heat- Back
2. Icy Hot Heat Therapy Air Activated Heat- Arm, Neck, and Leg
3. Icy Hot Heat Therapy Air Activated Heat- Arm, Neck, and Leg single consumer use “samples” included on a limited promotional basis in cartons of 3 oz. Aspercreme Pain Relieving Crème.
You can get a full refund by calling Chattem’s Consumer Affairs Department at 1-888-458-3487 (M-F from 8am to 4pm EST) or by visiting their website.
Chattem Issues URGENT Voluntary Nationwide Recall of Icy Hot® Heat Therapy™ Products [FDA]
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Coworker once related the story to me when he was buying some Icy Hot that didn’t have a price (pre-scanner days), the unfamiliar cashier called out for a
“Price check on the Icky-Hot!”
Since then, it’s always been Icky-Hot to me.
I fricking put one of these on not even 1 hour before this broke. Still have it on
Got the box right here. So far, no charred flesh! In fact, it’s a little light on the heat, to be honest.
i can smell it now: already-awful-smelling icy-hot mixed with burning flesh. yum.
seriously though, how do you let yourself get a 3rd degree burn with a patch? wouldn’t you pull the patch off before it got that far?
this is probably more for the elderly and others with ‘thin skin.’ I use these now and then and I like them that hot!
They have a good product, just aimed at the wrong market segment. This would be great for camping trips, just apply a heat pad to your steak or potato or whatever.
I tried their leg packs recently due to straining my calves when working out. If anything, it was too icy – no heat felt at all. I thought they were a rip off for the exact opposite reason that they’re being recalled. Figures.
Hopefully I was a part of this recall. I contacted them a month ago, when I ended up with 3rd degree burns after having the pad on for less than 5 hours. Perhaps it’s just a certain lot number. The response I got was “we’ll send you a prepaid envelope to mail the product to us” I have used their product before without any problems. I know it seems as if I should have known it was burning me but it didn’t feel any different than usual. All of a sudden I felt intense pain and then pulling the pad off was agony. I ended up on topical antibiotics for a week, and it took 3 weeks for the burns to heal.. I’ve been using this type of product for 2 years due to kidney pain and this is the first time I ever had that problem
@stre: honestly there was no way to tell it was doing that. I’m not elderly and I don’t have thin skin. I would have thought you could tell it was burning but there was no symptom until it had already burned me then all of a sudden it was intense pain.
Ouch. From now on, just use Tiger Balm.
@Szin: Tiger Balm doesn’t have a heat patch, just a medicated. The Icy Hot heat patch just feels so good…but yes it does burn a bit.
I use the cream, but they should put a large warning on it to remind you to wash your hands after applying, lest you touch some sensitive parts by accident. Ouch.
Am I the only person who doesn’t see any mention of this recall on the Icy Hot website or on their parent company’s site?
@timsgm1418: Honestly, that’s very interesting. I too would have thought you’d be able to feel a gradual build-up of intensity. Interesting to hear from someone with first-hand experience.
Go away now. We can’t have people with first-hand experience ruining the discussion with facts and data.
lol honestly I was amazed when I saw this on Consumerist. I thought they were just giving me the standard “return the product for a refund” thing.Apparently I wasn’t the only one with the problem. I can’t tell you how long it took to actually figure out how to contact them. The worst part about the experience is I was unable to use any heat pads until the burns healed. I was stuck with Percocet only (sounds ideal, but they make me sleep and I can’t work or do anything else). fortunately had kidney surgery 3 weeks ago, so hopefully won’t need them anymore@Antediluvian:
@timsgm1418: I can’t even imagine what that would be like.
My question is…how does it get so hot as to do this? I mean seriously when I have used these things versus an electric heating pad, the electric pad has so much more heat.
I always hated icyhot. It’s something like a torture for me to put on their creams. It makes my hands feel devoid of any heat at all. I mean like sticking you hands in snow and then letting the wind hit it at 0F Then it builds up into an intense alcohol like burning. Like when you have a cut and dip in alcohol? Yea like that but all around the area.
I stay well away from that stuff.
my only guess is they were manufactured in China (actually I think they were) and too much of one chemical or something. I just know that no matter what I won’t be buying that brand again, I’ll stick with the cheap ones I can get at Walmart. Sadly I was nowhere near a Walmart when I desperately needed one of these, Icy Hot was the only brand available at the store I went to@Lo-Pan: