Four adults and one child have been treated in UVA’s emergency department after consuming over-the-counter mushroom gummies and becoming sick.
The four adults had consumed the gummies intentionally; the 3-year-old child, seen in the ER this June, had consumed two gummies accidentally.
All were treated and released, but the child required an overnight stay.
After the spate of cases in Charlottesville, UVA’s Blue Ridge Poison Center tested five different brands of the products sold legally at gas stations and smoke shops in Central Virginia.
Of the five gummies tested, three contained psilocybin or psilocin, substances classified as “Schedule I” drugs by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The designation by the FDA means the substance in the gummies has no medical use and a high potential for abuse.
Psilocybin and psilocin are illegal at both the federal and state level.
The products claimed to contain the Amanita muscaria mushroom, which is legal, or a proprietary mushroom blend. None disclosed the inclusion of psilocybin or psilocin. Other undisclosed ingredients discovered by the UVA researchers included caffeine, ephedrine and kratom, an herb that produces opioid-like effects and carries the risk of addiction.
The experts are warning consumers to be wary of unregulated products sold over the counter.
“People tend to equate legal with safe, which is not necessarily the case,” said researcher Avery Michienzi, DO, the poison center’s assistant medical director.
“These products are not regulated and can contain any number of unlabeled substances which, when consumed, can cause undesired symptoms,” said Michienzi.
Typical hospital drug screens, the researchers noted, do not detect the substances the researchers found. Symptoms may include hallucinations, racing heartbeat, upset stomach and altered mental state.
“While we anticipated that we might find some undisclosed ingredients, we were surprised to find psilocybin and psilocin knowing that they are scheduled drugs,” said Lindsay Bazydlo, PhD, UVA Health’s medical director for the advance toxicology lab. “The consumer should be given accurate information about what substances are included in these products.”
Mushroom gummies are often advertised as containing “mushroom nootropics” – a substance that claims to improve cognition and brain health.
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Crystal Graham
