OREM -- The use of a common date-rape drug in an alleged sexual assault in Utah County this week illustrates the increasing prevalence of a substance labeled dangerous by the federal government but readily available in health supplements.
A 19-year-old Provo woman told Orem police she was raped Tuesday night after becoming immobilized by ingesting large amounts of a bodybuilding aid called ReGenerize.Friends told the woman the drug, mixed into a drink, would allow her to have "all the 'fun' of drinking alcohol but still not violate the 'Word of Wisdom' " of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, police said.
Medical professionals say use of the drug GHB -- or gamma hydroxy butyrate -- is becoming increasingly common at parties of high school or college students.
The drug has been available at the fraternities and sororities on the campus of the University of Utah for several years but has more recently began to appear near Brigham Young University and Utah Valley State College, said several experts.
"GHB seems to be a real growing problem," said Su Bryner-Brown, a forensic nurse examiner in Salt Lake County. "It's an easy one to slip into a drink or even food right before someone eats it."
Officials at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo said they are seeing negative effects of the drug. Two patients were admitted to intensive care last month after overdoses.
Orem Police Lt. Doug Edwards said the ReGenerize purchased at a local gym was given to the Provo woman at a party.
After she fell into a state of near-unconsciousness, the woman was raped by a 22-year-old Utah Valley State College student, police said.
The male student was arrested by Orem police Thursday. He was taken to the Utah County Jail and was scheduled to appear in 4th District Court for a bail hearing Friday morning.
ReGenerize, which is used as a sleep aid, contains gamma butyrolactone (GBL), which is a precursor to GHB. When taken orally, GBL is converted in the body to GHB.
In January, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned consumers to discard products containing either of the two substances. The FDA also asked retailers selling the product to participate in a voluntary recall.
The FDA, however, does not have oversight of the nutrition-supplement industry. A 1994 congressional act protecting the sale of herbs prohibits the administration from regulating such products.
Susan Chasson, chairwoman of the Utah County Sexual Assault Task Force, said the ingredients of nutrition supplements such as ReGenerize also are found in industrial supplies.
"There is nothing herbal about paint thinner," Chasson said. "Really, this stuff is prevalent and people need to be careful."
Several local gyms and health-food outlets continue to offer products containing GBL. The products also are readily available to order on the Internet, officials said.
One gym, though, has taken it off its shelves. Representatives of pro shops in Lifestyles 2000 said Thursday they stopped offering the product when warnings were issued..
Eight bottles of ReGenerize, priced at nearly $100 each, were confiscated by Orem police when they served a search warrant at the home where the alleged rape took place. Six of the eight bottles were empty, Edwards said.
GHB may have been used in connection with date rapes for several years, but Utah law-enforcement officials only recently have started to recognize it.
The first criminal trial involving an alleged rape of a woman under the influence of GHB was held this year. GHB is difficult to detect in a person's system, and virtually impossible to detect after 24 hours, experts said.
"The biggest problem with these types of cases is that because the poor victim has no memory, they may not even get in to be tested in a timely manner to take a sample," Bryner-Brown said.
In this week's case, police said, the woman was unable to move until Wednesday morning. She reported the rape Wednesday afternoon.
When it was researched in the 1960s, GHB was developed as a general anesthetic. But its negative side effects -- such as extreme vomiting -- made it unsuitable for that use. Currently, researchers are testing it for use in treating narcolepsy. The FDA warns against using GHB or GBL for any other purpose.
The drug is available in liquid or powder form, and is promoted with claims "to build muscles, improve physical performance, enhance sex, reduce stress and induce sleep," according to the food and drug administration.
Bryner-Brown said Utah recorded its first GHB-related death this fall when a Sandy man took it while bathing in a hot tub.
Deseret News staff writer Jeffrey P. Haney contributed to this report.