Drug warning for gym addicts
WA doctors are worried about reports of people abusing a body-building supplement containing a synthetic stimulant to stay awake for days.
They say users of the powder Jack3D could unwittingly be putting themselves at risk of heart arrhythmia, mental health problems and accidents.
The supplement contains caffeine and the synthetic stimulant dimethylamylamine, or DMAA, a derivative of geranium oil.
It is sold on the internet as a pre-workout enhancer to give added stamina in the gym but _The Weekend West _understands mining workers are also using it to get through long shifts when they are tired.
Australian Medical Association WA president Dave Mountain, an emergency department doctor, said people saw designer supplements as harmless but they could be toxic.
Dr Mountain said while the need for supplements was questionable anyway, there were distinct health risks associated with some when they were abused.
"All these man-made concoctions have to be viewed very cautiously because you're burning your body too hard and ending up with major sleep deprivation, and people will be more prone to heart arrhythmias when they're tired and been up too long," he said.
"The substances in these preparations are invariably all stimulants, so they drive the heart faster and keep people awake so they can party harder.
"But it's not a good way for people to be trying to stay awake to cope with their work life, and it's dangerous if they're driving or operating machinery and making poor decisions, which is not what you want when people are possibly working on mine sites."
Dr Mountain said there were known medical complications from DMAA and reports of some young people becoming seriously ill.
The New Zealand Medical Journal reported a case last year of a 21-year-old man who took two capsules of DMAA and suffered bleeding on the brain.
The man had also taken a capsule of caffeine and had been drinking a can of beer.
"We're also aware of people prone to mental health issues getting into trouble when they get sleep-deprived and then overstimulated," he said.
