Towhid Alam just wanted a little libido help when he ordered an herbal supplement over the Internet earlier this year.
Instead, he claims, the pills sold under the brand name "Rock Hard" caused a blood vessel just outside his brain to hemorrhage. He and his wife Rashida are seeking $10 million in compensatory and punitive damages from supplement maker New Vitality Corp. and affiliated companies.
The Alams claim in their Davidson County Circuit Court lawsuit (available at this link) that the herbal supplement carried little or no warning that there was a risk of elevated blood pressure, which Towhid Alam's doctor said caused the hemorrhage. And Rock Hard didn't help Towhid sexually either, the legal filing claims.
According to the lawsuit, the hemorrhage caused brain damage and Towhid Alam had to take a lower-paying job that required less cognitive ability. He now earns $42 per hour as a contract software tester for local disease management firm Healthways through information technology staffing firm TEKsystems Inc., instead of $47 an hour in his previous role as a contract software developer for Healthways. He claims he also cannot drive to work and now must take a public bus, adding significantly to his commute time.
Towhid bought Rock Hard in early January from New Vitality's website. The lawsuit notes the product's claim that it is a "natural dietary supplement [that] supplies a powerful fusion of herbs shown to support libido and promote prostrate health." Perhaps it was faulty spell check or a slip of the keyboard, but the claim on the web site is "promote prostate health" not "prostrate."
Still, according to the lawsuit, Towhid took only two tablets of Rock Hard, one on January 14 and the other on January 16. After the second tablet, he started having severe headaches. He felt ill and his blood pressure was higher than normal. After a couple of days of feeling bad, he went to the doctor with the Rock Hard in hand. The doctor found that his blood pressure was elevated and noted his patient's medical records that he had a reaction to yohimbine, an herb in the supplement. The physician threw away the Rock Hard and sent Towhid on his way with a prescription for pain relief for his headache.
Three days later, Towhid passed out at his home in Antioch, and an ambulance took him to the hospital where it was determined that a blood vessel had ruptured near his brain. He was in the hospital for three weeks and required nurse care for a week at home.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of the Alams by Natasha Blackshear of Blackshear Capital & Legal, Jock Smith of Cochran, Cherry, Givens & Smith in Tuskegee, Ala., and Jeffrey Blackshear of Smith, Hirsch & Blackshear.
Officials with New Vitality and related companies could not be reached this week.
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