FDA has warned “regular users should stop using the unauthorized GHB or gamma hydroxybutyric acid drug sold in the market”. Use of GHB, also called sodium oxybate or gamma hydroxybutyrate sodium, apparently caused more than 30 people in California, Florida, and Georgia to become ill with symptoms ranging from nausea and vomiting to severe respiratory problems, seizures and coma.GHB is promoted for strength training, bodybuilding, weight loss, a replacement for L-tryptophan (a food supplement that FDA ordered removed from the market in 1989 after it was linked to a rare blood disorder), and as a “legal psychedelic.” GHB has been used in Europe as an anesthetic adjunct, and it is being evaluated in FDA approved clinical trials for the treatment of narcolepsy.
GHB Linked Illnesses
According to the California health department, GHB is sold through mail-order outlets, health food stores, bodybuilding gyms, and fitness centers. It is marketed as a powder or granules.
Health departments in the affected states have been working with FDA to learn more about the GHB-linked illnesses.
FDA offers consumers the following medical advice: Anyone taking GHB outside of physician-supervised clinical trials should stop immediately; Anyone who has consumed GHB and is experiencing seizures, uncontrolled shaking, headaches, unexplained drowsiness or other central nervous system disorders, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea should consult a medical practitioner immediately; doctors treating patients exhibiting these situations should report these issues to the local poison control.