Vertigo Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Vertigo, including details on causes, symptoms, treatment, dizziness.

Anorectic sibutramine detected in a Chinese herbal drug for weight loss.

Jung J, Hermanns-Clausen M, Weinmann W

Institute of Forensic Medicine, Forensic Toxicology, University Hospital Freiburg, Germany. julia.jung@uniklinik-freiburg.de

In the presented case, a young healthy woman had ordered a Chinese herbal medicine, called "LiDa Dai Dai Hua Jiao Nang", via internet. She took this product for approximately 1 week, but on the second day she developed severe headache, vertigo and sensation of numbness. After discontinuing medication, symptoms disappeared within 2 days. For identification of the ingredients, a urine sample as well as a sample of the "LiDa" capsule were analysed by GC-MS and HPLC-DAD. One major ingredient was detected in urine as well as in the "LiDa" capsule and was identified as sibutramine. Quantification by HPLC-DAD yielded 27.4 mg sibutramine base, which is approximately two times the amount of the highest authorized single dose available on the pharmaceutical market in Germany. This case demonstrates a common problem with herbal medicines, where adulterations with synthetic therapeutic substances can lead to severe side effects and/or potentially fatal interactions with conventional medicines.

Published 7 August 2006 in Forensic Sci Int, 161(2): 221-2.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

© 2005-2008 Vertigo Research Today. All Rights Reserved.