🚨 “GAS STATION OPIOID?” RUSH DOCTORS WARN ABOUT 7-OH AS ADDICTION CASES RISE

There’s a product being sold at gas stations, smoke shops, vape shops and online that Chicago-area doctors want people to know about.

It’s called 7-OH, short for 7-hydroxymitragynine, and doctors at Rush University Medical Center say they're seeing more patients seeking medical help for dependence and addiction connected to it.

And here's the part that may surprise people:

You don't need a prescription to walk into some stores and buy it.

WHAT IS 7-OH?

7-OH is related to kratom, a plant native to Southeast Asia.

But there is an important distinction.

7-OH occurs naturally in kratom leaves in tiny amounts. The concern from federal health officials is primarily about manufactured products containing concentrated or enhanced levels of 7-OH, not simply the naturally occurring trace amount in a kratom leaf.

These concentrated products can be sold as tablets, gummies, shots, drink mixes and other products.

The FDA describes concentrated 7-OH products as potent opioid products because 7-OH acts on the same type of opioid receptors involved with drugs such as morphine.

And the FDA says no 7-OH product has been approved as safe and effective for any medical use.

🚨 RUSH DOCTORS ARE SEEING A PROBLEM

Doctors at Rush told FOX 32 Chicago that while they haven't treated large numbers of 7-OH overdoses, they're seeing more medical emergencies and more people seeking treatment for addiction to it.

Dr. Antonia Nemanich, a Rush physician specializing in emergency medicine, medical toxicology and addiction medicine, warned that one major problem is inconsistency.

With an unregulated product, what somebody thinks they're taking and how much 7-OH is actually in it may not necessarily match.

Tolerance can also develop.

Someone might start using a small amount, then find themselves needing increasingly larger amounts to get the same effect or simply to avoid getting sick from withdrawal.

And that withdrawal can get ugly.

Doctors say symptoms can resemble opioid withdrawal and include muscle cramps, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, sweating and feeling severely ill.

📈 POISON CENTERS ARE SEEING MORE CASES TOO

This isn't just a Chicago concern.

America's Poison Centers reported 593 7-OH exposures during all of 2025.

From January through June of 2026 alone?

901.

That's more reported exposures in six months than during the entire previous year.

Among cases involving 7-OH alone, nearly 39% resulted in serious health problems, about 64% were treated at a healthcare facility, and approximately one in five were hospitalized.

🚔 POSEN POLICE ARE WARNING PARENTS

The Posen Police Department recently warned residents about 7-OH, particularly because these products can be sold in colorful packaging in places people visit every day.

That's what makes this story important.

Something being sold over a counter doesn't automatically mean the FDA has determined it's safe.

In fact, the FDA specifically recommends that consumers avoid 7-OH products.

Federal regulators have already taken enforcement action against companies selling concentrated 7-OH products, and in July 2026 the DEA began the process toward temporarily placing certain 7-OH products and synthetic derivatives under the Controlled Substances Act.

🎙️ LADY RED

Now THIS is exactly why I'm talking about this on 730 BOOM.

Because when people hear “gas station” or “smoke shop,” they may automatically think:

“Well, if they're selling it right there at the counter, it can't be THAT serious.”

Baby...

THE COUNTER IS NOT A PHARMACY.

And a colorful package doesn't turn something into candy.

Parents, grandparents, everybody, learn what 7-OH looks like and learn that name.

And if somebody is already dependent on it, I'm not here to shame them. Addiction doesn't disappear because somebody gets yelled at. Get medical help.

If someone is having a medical emergency, is unconscious or isn't breathing normally, call 911 immediately. Poison Control can also be reached at 1-800-222-1222.

Because if something can affect the body's opioid receptors, cause dependence and send people into withdrawal, we need to know exactly what we're dealing with.

And something sitting beside the register doesn't automatically make it safe.

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