Energy drinks disguised as ORS worsen heat-induced illnesses

HYDERABAD: With dehydration and heat-induced illnesses on the rise, there is a spurt in cases of patients wrongly consuming energy drinks instead of ORS (oral rehydration salts) and landing at hospitals. Drinks which partly have ORS in its label but are not World Health Organization recommended ORS formula are leading to worsening of symptoms, confusing and misleading patients as these are high on sugar content.
Among the recent victims of non-WHO formula ORS is 51-year-old Ravi, who had consumed two tetra packs of misleadingly named energy drink. "On the first day, after consulting a general physician, I was asked to take two ORS on day one and another on day two. After I took the first two tetra packs, my condition worsened. I had to rush to the doctor again. It was then that the doctor asked me about what I had taken and alerted me that it was an energy drink and not ORS," Ravi revealed.
In fact, when TOI visited three pharmacies in Chandanagar and Hi-Tec City for ORS, the first thing handed out by pharmacists was a tetra pack, an energy drink, and two of the pharmacies did not even have ORS at all. "Drugs Controller General of India approves only those formulations containing WHO recommended formula. Any ORS must conform to the standards prescribed in respect of manufacture, package and labelling," Dr Sivaranjani Santosh, a paediatrician, said.
"False labelling is prohibited and is an offence under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act. However, some companies are mislabelling their energy drinks as ORS or something similar (QRS), getting permission from FSSAI and selling them in market. These tetra packs are displayed prominently at most pharmacies," he said, adding, "The high sugar content in these drinks worsen diarrhoea. They inadequately replace salt content in the body and thus increase severity of diarrhoea, vomiting, and related complications like dehydration, shock and death."
The tetra packs, on the other hand, mention in small font - 'electrolyte drink not an ORS' or 'not recommended to be consumed for diarrhoea'. These warning are often missed by patients. The different formulations of flavoured and non-WHO formula ORS (peak rehydration salts), however, have flooded the market, adding to the confusion.
"Patients take these without reading the label. The amount of salts that have to be reintroduced into the body, have to be done in proportion of loss of fluids. Excessive electrolytes and sugar can be life threatening for certain patients," said Dr Sanjeev Singh Yadav, general physician, citing the case of a diabetes patient.
"The patient didn't take his regular diabetes medicine. This led to a spike in sugar levels, leading to renal failure. In patients with diabetes, these tetra packs and mislabelled drinks can lead to cardiac, kidney and liver failure," he said.