GBL (gamma butyrolactone) is the key ingredient in a number of products that promise better sleep, more enjoyable sex, or bigger muscles. These products include Longevity, Renewtrient, Revivarant, Blue Nitro, G.H. Revitalizer, Gamma G, Insom-X, Firewater, Invigorate, and Remforce. Unlike some supplements, GBL actually does something once it reaches the body: It changes to GHB (gamma hydroxybutyrate), a potent depressant of the central nervous system.

In fact, GBL is so powerful that the Food and Drug Administration considers it an unapproved drug, not a dietary supplement. In 1999, the agency urged consumers not to use any product containing GBL and pressed manufacturers to recall these products. Several companies have complied, but GBL products are still sold over the Internet as "party drugs." Since 2000 the US Drug Enforcement Agency has identified GBL as a controlled substance and has had jurisdiction over it, seizing batches to prevent it from being marketed to consumers.

The FDA had good reason for sounding an alarm. The US Drug Enforcement Agency has documented more than 15,000 overdoses and law enforcement encounters with the drug, as well as 72 deaths. Other reported side effects include vomiting, dangerously slow breathing and slow heart rates, coma and unconsciousness, and seizures. In spite of its dangers, GBL’s popularity has dramatically increased. The Drug Abuse Warning Network reports that in 1994 there were 56 emergency room visits related to GHB; in 2004 there were 2,340.

A case in point from the FDA files: In November 1998, a 24-year-old man in Minnesota started vomiting and had seizures after drinking between 3 and 4 ounces of Revivarant. His blood pressure and heart rate dropped, and he fell into a brief coma during the ambulance ride to the hospital. He recovered seven hours later, and the last thing he could remember was swallowing the supplement.

In October 1998, another 24-year-old Minnesota man fell down and became unresponsive after downing 10 to 13 ounces of Revivarant and a few alcoholic drinks. In the emergency department of a local hospital, he faded in and out of consciousness and lost control of his bowels. He woke up confused and unable to follow directions. Two hours later, he was fully recovered but had no memory of the ordeal.

Doctors recently identified a new danger associated with GBL use -- severe withdrawal symptoms that could put a user in the hospital. Doctors at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and Harvard Medical School investigated the case of five young men, mostly bodybuilders, who had taken GBL for two to nine months. When the men suddenly stopped taking GBL, they suffered withdrawal symptoms that included anxiety, insomnia, paranoid delusions, hallucinations, tremors, rapid heartbeat, and high blood pressure. The men had to be sedated in order to stabilize their vital signs, and spent about five days in the hospital recovering.

You should also avoid the depressant GHB and 1,4 butanediol (BD), which are close chemical cousins of GBL. GHB is available in the United States only as an investigational new drug for specific purposes; it can't be marketed legally but is available in street drugs such as "liquid ecstasy" and "nature's quaalude." (It has also been implicated as a "date rape" drug, according to the FDA.) BD is found in products such as Revitalize Plus, Serenity, Enliven, Thunder Nectar, Weight Belt Cleaner, NRG3, and SomatoPro. (The FDA also warns consumers not to drink products called Cherry fX Bombs, Lemon fX Drops, and Orange fX Rush, since they all contain BD.)

If you're unsure whether a product contains GBL, GBH, or BD, look for these chemical names on the label: 1,4 butanediol, tetramethylene glycol, gamma butyrolactone, or 2(3H)-Furanone di-hydro. If any are present, steer clear of the product.

In particular, don't indulge in unknown "party drugs." GBL, GHB, and BD are all strong depressants, which means you should never consume them before driving or operating machinery, and mixing them with alcohol is asking for serious trouble.

-- Chris Woolston, M.S., is a health and medical writer with a master's degree in biology. He is a contributing editor at Consumer Health Interactive, and was the staff writer at Hippocrates, a magazine for physicians. He has also covered science issues for Time Inc. Health, WebMD, and the Chronicle of Higher Education. His reporting on occupational health earned him an award from the northern California Society of Professional Journalists.

Further Resources

National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information, P.O. Box 2345, Rockville, MD 20847-2345, 301-468-2600, 1-800-729-6686

References

First published January 14, 2000
Last updated October 30, 2007
Copyright © 2000 Consumer Health Interactive

Or Find More On:

Back to top of page