PHOENIX -- On the night he suffered a seizure that caused him to stop breathing, Phoenix Suns forward Tom Gugliotta ingested a supplement that has been tied to the collapse of a 16-year-old Peoria, Ariz., boy on Dec. 2 and at least one death, the Arizona Republic has learned.
The compound, furanone di-hydro, is a legal, over-the-counter substance marketed as a herbal supplement that is designed to improve sleep and aid in muscle recovery.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has asked firms that manufacture products containing the chemical to voluntarily recall them.
Gugliotta and Dr. Richard Emerson, the Suns' physician, said Sunday that Gugliotta had taken the furanone di-hydro supplement after a Dec. 17 game in Portland before boarding the team's bus.
A short time after getting on the bus, Gugliotta suffered a seizure. Emerson revealed for the first time Sunday that the 6-foot-10, 30-year-old player stopped breathing en route to the hospital and in the emergency room there.
"They said my heart never stopped, but I wasn't breathing," Gugliotta said.
Emerson said that the supplement container was found, and that doctors were able to treat Gugliotta with counteractive drugs, "which probably saved Tom's life."
Emerson said the substance is not banned by the NBA, nor does he believe it will endanger Gugliotta's eligibility for the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia.
"I heard about it through a friend of mine from high school," said Gugliotta, a former North Carolina State star who began his NBA career with the then-Washington Bullets. "I didn't have any idea something like this could happen," said Gugliotta, who said he had used the supplement one previous time without adverse effects. "I nearly lost my life. You would have to be totally crazy to take it if you knew beforehand what could happen."
Among the brand names the supplement is marketed under are ReActive, Verve, SomatoPro, Blue Nitro and Regenerize, all of which are available over the Internet.
The FDA has documented 55 adverse effects tied to furanone di-hydro, including a death in Florida and at least 19 individuals who became unconscious or comatose after taking it. Several required insertion of an airway tube. At least five victims were 18 or younger.
Attempts to reach manufacturers of the substance on Sunday were unsuccessful. Some furanone products are marketed as sleep aids. Others also suggest that the products will aid muscle recovery and growth.
Gugliotta said he took it because he hadn't been sleeping well.
"It is supposed to promote terrific sleep and also help your body recover from extreme activity -- like playing an NBA game," he said. "It sounded pretty good."
Gugliotta would seem the most unlikely of athletes to take something that would harm him.
"I won't even take Advil if I can help it," he said. "I didn't think it was anything more dangerous than a vitamin."
Gugliotta is bothered by headaches apparently caused by a spinal tap done following his seizure and has yet to return to the Suns.
