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Dangeous
Supplements Causing Deaths
WASHINGTON
(Reuters Health) - US government researchers reported more evidence
Thursday that an industrial solvent sold over the Internet as
a dietary supplement is causing the same dangerous symptoms as
seen with the so-called ``date rape'' drug, gamma-hydroxybutyrate
(GHB).
It is not
surprising, since the solvent, called 1,4 butanediol (BD), is
metabolized into GHB in the body, the researchers said.
BD and related
chemicals are commonly sold as sleep aids, weight reducers and
muscle promoters and even as ``organic'' cleaning products. BD
ingestion causes extreme euphoria and sedation, but can lead to
severe respiratory depression and coma. Despite warnings issued
by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), they still seem to
be in widespread use.
From January
1999 to August 2000, the FDA division that oversees dietary supplements
received 48 reports of acute BD intoxication, including loss of
consciousness, dangerously low respiratory rates, vomiting and
slowed heartbeat. There were six deaths, and six patients had
severe withdrawal because of their addiction.
The reports
were described at the FDA's annual Science Forum in Washington.
BD is often
the main ingredient of supplements claiming to enhance sexual
function, build muscle mass, or bring on sleep. Product names
include Zen, NRG-3, Soma Solutions, Enliven and Serenity, and
the BD is often listed as ``tetramethylene glycol'' or ``Sucol
B,'' according to the FDA researchers.
Back in 1999,
the FDA designated BD as a Class I health hazard, citing it as
``a potentially life-threatening risk.'' Officials noted then
that BD may increase the effects of alcohol and is even more dangerous
if consumed with other depressant drugs.
In April 2000,
the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) made BD a scheduled
substance. GHB, and a precursor, gamma-butyrolactone (GBL), had
already both been scheduled by the DEA in January 1999.
Since the
FDA started warning consumers of the potential dangers of BD,
GHB and GBL more than a year ago, many of the products formerly
sold as dietary supplements have changed their names or the intended
use of the product, such as calling it a ``cleaning solution.''
Yet information
provided about the product retains many of the former claims,
such as ``improves sexual desire and function,'' Drs. Deborah
L. Zvosec and Stephen W. Smith of the Hennepin County Medical
Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, told Reuters Health in January.
The researchers
published a review of nine cases of BD abuse published in The
New England Journal of Medicine in January.
The Drug Enforcement
Administration is continuing to crack down on sales of BD, which
should decrease the legal supply, the FDA researchers said. But,
the decreased supply could lead to more addicts going through
withdrawal, they added.
Reference
Source 89
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