The FDA says people are confusing poppers with energy shots, and dying. Experts want proof

It is not unusual for the packaging of one product to resemble that of another, which can lead to imbalances. But the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has Beware people who drink energy To make sure they don’t accidentally hit a bottle of popcorn – or they could end up getting sick or dying.

“Don’t be fooled. These bubbles, which are often purchased online or in new stores, are unapproved products and should not be inhaled or swallowed, regardless of how they are packaged, labeled, or displayed,” the FDA notes in its online warning shared. In recent posts on social media.

But those who work in the LGBTQ sexual health field say the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warning that people are confusing poppers for energy shots, with sometimes fatal consequences, may actually be more harmful.

Such messages are “inflammatory” and may contribute to “product stigmatization.” [and] “The person who uses poppers is stigmatized,” said Rod Knight, an assistant professor at the University of Montreal School of Public Health who has also done research on poppers.

Poppers are a chemical that belongs to a class of drugs known as alkyl nitrates. Knight explained that when inhaled as a vapor, from a small bottle filled with liquid and wrapped in a colorful plastic sticker, the user can almost immediately feel a short-lived sensation of a slight head rush.

He explained that they also relax the sphincter muscle in the anus, which makes receptive anal sex more comfortable for some people. Poppers have been popular with gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men for decades.

Knight admits that there are times Side effectsAlkyl nitrate, which may include nausea, headache, hypotension vasodilators;which means that they open blood vessels – and even Vision issues. But he suggested that such side effects “could be remedied by changing usage patterns”.

According to the Food and Drug Administration websiteusually purchased from sex stores or over the Internet – often Named Like other products such as leather cleaner or deodorants – although the agency recommends against using them. Alkyl nitrate as poppers Unauthorized in Canada and Health Canada sales funnel Since 2013, though, it’s not necessarily illegal to buy, possess, or consume.

Does the FDA claim to pass the sniff test?

Energy shots are flavored drinks that contain some amount of caffeine and vitamins or other natural substances purported to boost your energy, such as ginseng or ginkgo biloba. Sold in small bottles with colored plastic labels. They are commonly found in stores and supermarkets or purchased online.

If you have both products side by side, Adam Awad explained, and didn’t realize your mistake by the time you peeled back the plastic and opened the bottle, the distinct smell of poppers should be a red flag. Director of Communications for the Gay Men’s Sexual Health Alliance in Toronto.

If you are about to drink a 5 hour energy drink [a popular energy shot brand] And it smells like nail polish remover, you should probably ask yourself a few questions before you touch it to your lips.”

Awad said he is not aware of any cases of people dying from an accident related to poppers as described by the FDA — a claim the agency had previously made. Made in 2021 — but said he would “be very keen to see any evidence they have or reports of the actual number of cases”.

CBC News reached out to the FDA for data on injuries or deaths related to accidental ingestion of oral poppers and an explanation for the social media warning, but did not receive a response.

In 2012, however, the agency advertiser 13 deaths and 33 hospitalizations related to 5-hour consumption of energy drinks were investigated.

But if a serious or fatal mix-up occurred with poppers and energy shots, it would definitely be a dangerous situation, Knight said. He said he was curious to know in what context such a serious error might have occurred and whether other factors contributed to these incidents.

There is also another downside to Poppers, Knight said, which is that health agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration and Health Canada fail to mention it in their warning letters.

“This drug is used by gays and lesbians for very therapeutic reasons,” Knight said. “[Poppers] It can prevent muscle spasm and injury during receptive anal intercourse.”

Should Canada ease its restrictions on poppers?

Health Canada states that alkyl nitrites can only be used when prescribed by a doctor, but there are currently no approved products sold as poppers. “There were no requests submitted by any company,” the agency said in a statement to CBC News [or] Manufacturers to obtain a license for a popper product.

It would be difficult and unlikely for many producers to go through the clinical trials and regulatory processes needed to get approval for prescription use, Knight said, and even if it did, it would only create other barriers to accessing the drug.

“This drug is not really known among a lot of doctors, except for those who specialize in sexual health,” he said.

Existing restrictions, he said, have done little to prevent people from obtaining poppers one way or another, whether that be by ordering them online, buying them across the border in the United States, or purchasing them through other means.

Pointed to clear out Community Research Centre This showed a slight decrease in the percentage of people using poppers, after the sales were banned, and had little effect on regular use.

“If this were a drug that was being used among, say, non-straight people at a rate of 30 percent of straight men across Canada, then there would be a very different approach to how to treat the drug,” he said.

It is believed that the restriction did more harm than good, driving poppers into a form of “boom market,” making it unclear what ingredients they might contain because manufacturers were not “incentivized” to label their products with accurate health information.

There is also a possibility that the poppers may be packaged in a manner similar to other products in order to “hide” them due to the restriction, Awad added, potentially the same mixing scenario.