Supplement safety
In 2002, the 2-year-old daughter of actor Jude Law attended a children’s party at London’s Soho House Club.
It was reported that while there, she swallowed a pill she had found on the floor that turned out to be ecstasy, leftover from a bar/nightclub event the previous evening.
She was rushed to a hospital, where she reportedly had her stomach pumped. She was later declared OK, and was released the next day.
As scary as that incident was, it turns out that U.S. poison control centers get a call every 24 minutes regarding overexposure to not only illicit drugs – although they get plenty of those – but also dietary supplements. A new study reveals that 70 per cent of those calls are about kids 6 and younger accidentally ingesting a supplement, most often energy products and yohimbe.
Yohimbe is available as a standardized prescription drug for erectile dysfunction, and that’s a different product than over-the-counter yohimbe, which claims to boost performance, aid weight loss and cure high blood pressure, diabetic neuropathy and impotence. According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, yohimbe is associated with heart attacks, arrhythmia and hypertension, stomach problems, anxiety and seizures. So ...
No. 1: Adults, avoid OTC yohimbe and steer clear of most energy supplements, which can trigger increased heart rate, headache and mood changes. In kids, they can cause heart and breathing problems, even seizures.
No. 2: When buying any supplement, look for a seal from U.S. Pharmacopeia, NSF, ConsumerLab.com or UL indicating that the ingredients have been verified.
No. 3: Place all supplements in childproof bottles.