Dutch health authorities have received dozens of reports of serious side effects linked to the sleep drink DroomSap, which contains the chemical substance doxylamine — a compound banned in the Netherlands for use in medication due to its risks, RTL reports.
The Netherlands Pharmacovigilance Center Lareb has so far received nineteen official reports, while the National Poisons Information Center (NVIC) at UMC Utrecht was contacted by dozens of others. The reports describe a wide range of symptoms, including heart palpitations, hallucinations, restless legs, severe itching, dizziness, diarrhea, erectile dysfunction, tingling sensations, mood changes, and double vision.
According to Lareb, DroomSap is marketed as a natural sleep aid made with herbs and honey, but its primary effect comes from doxylamine. The chemical can cause epileptic seizures, concentration problems, nightmares, and increased pressure in the eyeball. “In DroomSap there is doxylamine, a medicine that is officially banned in the Netherlands because of its side effects,” sleep expert Myrthe Boss told AD last October. “It affects allergies but also causes drowsiness. It does not improve sleep quality and carries many risks, such as dizziness, memory problems, and even hallucinations.”
The youngest person who reported side effects was 15 years old, and the oldest was 79. Most symptoms subsided once users stopped taking the product, Lareb said.
The NVIC said it received more than 30 complaints involving symptoms such as “decreased consciousness, fainting, heart palpitations, anxiety, chest pain, and diarrhea.” Four affected users were under 10 years old, and three were teenagers. A police officer and a doctor’s assistant also contacted the NVIC after learning that colleagues were using DroomSap during night shifts. The center advised against any further use of the product.
DroomSap is not officially classified as a medicine because its doxylamine concentration is just below the legal threshold that would require a prescription. Instead, it is registered as a food product. Lareb has notified the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) about the reported health risks.
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