Chris Watts Thrive Patches And Steroids: Theories About His Alleged Substance Abuse
Whoa.
YouTube It’s been over two years since Chris Watts senselessly murdered his pregnant wife, Shanann Watts, and their two young daughters, Celeste and Bella.
And although Watts has since been charged with the murders of his family and has been serving his life sentence at Dodge Correctional Facility in Waupun, Wisconsin, the internet cannot stop speculating about the Watts family murders.
One theory suggests that Le-vel’s Thrive patches, possibly in combination with steroids that some folks think Watts was on, led him to snap and kill his family.
Chris Watts Thrive patches and steroids: did they play a role in the Watts family murders?
Let’s investigate.
What are Thrive patches?
Thrive patches are marketed as “weight loss” and “health” products that aid in supporting a healthy lifestyle.
Is Le-vel, the company that sells Thrive, an MLM?
The company that sells Thrive is one, giant classic pyramid scheme. Literally, take one look at their website — after seeing the phrases “over 10 million customers!” and “over $2 billion in lifetime sales!” you’ll know that Thrive is just a huge multi-level marketing scheme.
Le-vel Thrive patches: what’s in them?
Thrive patches have not been approved by the FDA for weight loss nor have they been studied, which means no one really knows what the side effects of long-term use of these patches are.
The listed ingredients in the basic Thrive patches include ForsLean (the commercial name for the herb Coleus forskohlii), green coffee bean extract, garcinia cambogia, coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), and Cosmoperine (the commercial name for tetrahydropiperine, a compound extracted from black pepper.)
In addition to the ingredients listed above, the Thrive Ultra Patch and Black Label Patch contain satiereal saffron extract, green tea extract, 5-HTP, L-theanine, L-arginine, quercetin, guarana, yerba mate and vitamin B12.
There are also a multitude of other ingredients in the patches, which we’ll get to later.
Basically, these things are very strong caffeine patches, and one Reddit user even compared them to ephedrine and meth, both of which are (obviously) very strong stimulants.
Shanann Watts was a Thrive promoter.
Shannan Watts got involved with Thrive through a friend, and in a lengthy video, the pair discussed their involvement with the company and how Thrive has helped them.
Chris Watts also used Thrive patches, which some people —like his mistress, Nichol Kessinger — attributed to his drastic weight loss in the time leading up to the Watts family murders.
Chris Watts Thrive patch theories:
In a long-winded post on Reddit, one user explained their theory about how Thrive patches may have played a role in the Watts family murders.
“I have read some comments about the possibility of the thrive supplements causing some sort of excuse as to why he killed,” the user started.
“I don't really know the right words, I don't think any drug could be a reason in and of itself as a reason for murder but drugs do alter brain chemistry and personality, and what I think is drugs alter your moods, memory, and can cause you to take actions that you otherwise would not have.”
It is important to note that the amount of each ingredient that’s listed on the Thrive products is largely unknown.
“Basically, it is much the same as ephedrine,” the user continued, adding that it is similar to meth, and a “white middle class couple in their 30s who have never done drugs” might not know what the signs of being on meth are.
“So I read that Shannan was promoting her Thrive sales, and she was posting about how Chris was using the patch and he was getting up at 3 am to clean the whole house, vacuuming, mopping and everything,” the user continued. “This is classic tweaker behavior.”
You can see a photo of Chris Watts wearing multiple patches at once here.
Another user was able to find a list of ingredients, which you can see here.
While some of the ingredients are basic vitamins and minerals, others — like PEA (Phenethylamine), are a little suspicious.
“When taken by mouth: Phenethylamine is POSSIBLY UNSAFE for most people,” info about the drug’s side effects reads.
“Phenethylamine is similar to the drug amphetamine, and may cause similar side effects, such as rapid heart rate, anxiety, or agitation,” the information continued.
So, if Watts was essentially “abusing” Thrive patches — AKA, wearing more than one at a time, like the picture of him shows — the side effects could’ve been amplified.
Another Reddit user echoed these statements about the Thrive patches writing, “Thrive has several stimulants in it to increase energy, but in some people it has been known to cause mood problems.”
“It's also possible he was taking something in combination to the Thrive patches that may have been a bad combination, such as steroids?” the user added.
Was Chris Watts on steroids?
One Reddit user pointed out some of the character changes in Watts before the murders.
“Maybe I missed it..... But seeing how fat he was im [sic] some pictures to how muscular he ended up being combined with his different new attitude and personality change, it would make sense that he was taking steroids,” they alleged.
“He was working out a lot, especially while Shannan [sic] was in NC. And I remember him saying he had a lot of rage when he killed Shannan. Could that have caused the ‘snap’?” they added.
Chris Watts’s mistress, Nichol Kessinger, confirmed that he was abusing Thrive patches.
In an interview, Chris Watts’s mistress, Nichol Kessinger, confirmed that he had been doubling up on Thrive patches and that they affected his personality.
“I do remember him mentioning to me when he first tried to introduce me to Thrive, that you needed one patch a day , and when he would hang out with me, he always wore two — always wore two,” Kessinger said, adding that he lost “13 pounds in 5 weeks.”
“He, like, didn’t need to sleep,” Kessinger continued. “And he was always that way. It was like he was on speed.”
Where is Chris Watts now?
Regardless of all the theories as to what led Chris Watts to senselessly murder Shanann Watts and his daughters, one thing is certain: Chris Watts is a murderer, through and through.
He is currently serving his sentence at Dodge Correctional Facility in Waupun, Wisconsin. He is allowed a small number of visitors, including a few friends, his parents, and his rumored girlfriend, Anna Nowak.
Olivia Jakiel is an editor and writer who covers celebrity and entertainment news. Follow her on Instagram and keep up with her zingers on Twitter.