Dietary supplements and military operations: caution is advised.
We describe the case of a 32-year-old soldier who presented with acute organic psychosis during an operational tour to Iraq. This was precipitated by excessive consumption of caffeine coupled with additional use of oral nutritional stimulants. Her biochemical profile was compounded by the additional use of exogenous creatine. We present a brief overview of the issue of exercise supplementation and highlight some of the potential problems and clinical issues surrounding their use. This has important implications for both serving soldiers and the wider medical community.
Boos
C J
CJ
MDHU (Portsmouth), Queen Alexandra Hospital, Cosham PO6 3LY. Christopherboos@hotmail.com
White
S H
SH
Bland
S A
SA
McAllister
P D
PD
D000328:Adult; D002110:Caffeine / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants / Q000009:adverse effects*; D003401:Creatine / Q000009:adverse effects*; D003693:Delirium / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000175:diagnosis; D019587:Dietary Supplements / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007493:Iraq; D054542:Iraq War, 2003-2011; D011605:Psychoses, Substance-Induced / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D006113:United Kingdom
D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants; D002110:Caffeine; D003401:Creatine