The government is warning consumers not to use a list of liquid products touted as providing a “safe legal high” because they actually may contain some risky chemicals — including a date-rape drug.
On the warning list: Trip2Night, Invigorate II, Snuffadelic, Liquid Speed, Solar Water, Orange Butterfly, Schoomz and Green Hornet Liquid.
The Food and Drug Administration first warned against Green Hornet in February, after four Colorado teenagers used it and then suffered seizures, racing heartbeat, severe body rashes and high blood pressure.
Although the bottles listed a variety of herbal ingredients, FDA’s analysis uncovered two drugs — diphenhydramine and dextromethorphan, ingredients often used separately in over-the-counter cold medicines.
FDA then analyzed other products sold by the same company, and announced Friday that investigators had found additional chemicals: the drug ephedrine and the controlled substances GHB, also known as the date-rate drug, and a GHB derivative called GBL.
Those two chemicals can cause life-threatening reactions.
The FDA has been investigating a Tampa, Fla., company, Cytotec Solutions, which made the products. While the company has gone out of business, FDA issued its warning Friday in case consumers or stores still have any of the products on hand.
“They pose a hazard,” said David Elder, director of FDA’s enforcement office. “The levels of drug products found in these products concern us. Kids are not necessarily consuming a cap-full or teaspoon or sip of this. They could take a couple of swigs and pass the bottle to their friends.”
The products were sold on the Internet and in stores as dietary supplement alternatives to illegal street drugs. It is illegal for dietary supplements to contain drugs, or to be marketed in that manner.