Late June 2026, the US Food and Drug Administration issued a warning that laboratory testing revealed the presence of 1,4-dimethylamylamine, or DMAA, in Pre-Formance Black pills. The hidden ingredient, sneakily listed as ‘geranium extract’, puts consumers at risk of elevated blood pressure, brain bleeds and heart problems. Budding body builders should leave this ‘pre-workout’ supplement on the shelf, say health experts based at the top agency in charge of consumer safety for food and pharma.
Cardiovascular concerns are not to be sniffed at when it comes to intense exercise, especially lifting. It’s well recorded that professional athletes are in danger of heart failure, heart attack and other cardiovascular problems. Any so-called supplement that has an effect on your heart should be a no-go for people serious about their health.
It’s not even clear that the weak stimulant effect it has would help your performance any more than an espresso. Is that actually useful? Doubt it.
A Substandard Drug With High Toxicity
Sellers claim that using PRE-Formance Black will boost your performance in the gym, giving you a burst of energy early in your work out via natural ingredients.
In reality DMAA is an amphetamine derivative created in 1944 by Eli Lily to ease nasal congestion by constricting the blood vessels in your nasal passages. Drug makers stopped using the ingredient in 1983 because, honestly, it wasn’t as good as other decongestants and it was more likely to raise your blood pressure.
In 2013 it was banned in the USA after unscrupulous sports supplement makers started adding it to performance supplements in the 2000s. Doctors have reported incidents linking DMAA to racing heart, arrhythmia, nausea, vomiting, agitation, tremors, dizziness, headache and chest pain. More disturbingly, DMAA has been connected to liver damage, brain haemorrhages, stroke and even death.
DMAA Is Not A Natural Compound
As of 2014, there was no evidence that it was possible to extract DMAA from geraniums at all. Despite their claims that this is all natural, DMAA is most certainly made in a lab with the full knowledge it is a banned drug that, when mixed with caffeine, can put your heart in danger.
If you are serious about safety and looking for consistency and success in your workouts, avoid pre-workout supplements that list geranium extract, geranium derivatives, Geranamine or Pelargonium graveolens extract in the ingredients.
Sources
Research C for DE and. PRE-FORMANCE BLACK may be harmful due to hidden ingredient. FDA. Published online June 24, 2026. Accessed July 14, 2026. https://www.fda.gov/drugs/medication-health-fraud-notifications/pre-formance-black-may-be-harmful-due-hidden-ingredient
Program HF. DMAA in Products Marketed as Dietary Supplements. FDA. Published online August 29, 2024. Accessed July 14, 2026. https://www.fda.gov/food/information-select-dietary-supplement-ingredients-and-other-substances/dmaa-products-marketed-dietary-supplements
Dolan SB, Gatch MB. Abuse liability of the dietary supplement dimethylamylamine. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2015;146:97-102. doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2014.11.006
Gee P, Tallon C, Long N, Moore G, Boet R, Jackson S. Use of Recreational Drug 1,3-Dimethylethylamine (DMAA) Associated With Cerebral Hemorrhage. Annals of Emergency Medicine. 2012;60(4):431-434. doi:10.1016/j.annemergmed.2012.04.008
Cohen PA, Travis JC, Vanhee C, Ohana D, Venhuis BJ. Nine prohibited stimulants found in sports and weight loss supplements: deterenol, phenpromethamine (Vonedrine), oxilofrine, octodrine, beta-methylphenylethylamine (BMPEA), 1,3-dimethylamylamine (1,3-DMAA), 1,4-dimethylamylamine (1,4-DMAA), 1,3-dimethylbutylamine (1,3-DMBA) and higenamine. Clin Toxicol (Phila). 2021;59(11):975-981. doi:10.1080/15563650.2021.1894333
