Energy shot company Red Dawn Energy removed phenibut from its Sleepwalker shot last year after a class-action lawsuit was filed, but has now found itself in the hot seat once more for adding the deadly designer drug phenibut back into their energy shot products now labeled as “Red Dawn Energy.”  Red Dawn’s energy shots have already been banned from Amazon. The company has also received an FDA warning in the past.

Phenibut is a designer drug often marketed as a dietary supplement that can reduce anxiety. However, the drug is not approved by the FDA for sale in dietary supplements. In addition, sales of phenibut could lead to legal actions in the United States due to its addictive nature.

At doses of more than 7 grams, a person may experience fatty liver degeneration. Other phenibut dangers, particularly when too much is taken, can include tonic-clonic seizures, delirium, and unconsciousness. The energy shot has already been sold to thousands of consumers through various mainstream convenience channels, including RaceTrac, Casey’s General Store, and Love’s truck stops.

Because phenibut is not allowed by the FDA in dietary supplements, insurance carriers cannot write policies for merchants who sell dietary supplements with phenibut in it. Should an incident occur (i.e., a customer experiencing a potentially deadly side effect), it would fall on the seller’s head to absorb the full liability.

Despite rebranding to Red Dawn Energy, the energy shot company has elected to add phenibut back into their products. It should be noted that Red Dawn Energy is made all the more effective with phenibut as an ingredient and would likely be significantly less potent without it, which may have played a role in their decision to add the drug back into their products.

Red Dawn continues to stand behind its products with Phenibut in them. On their website, they claim their Red Dawn Energy shot can:

“de-clutter the closet of your mind with this synergistic concoction of brain-optimizing nutrients. It’s juice with no jitters. It’s serenity with no sluggishness. It’s what energy drinks want to be when they grow up. Unleash your inner-genius.”

Red Dawn Energy’s claims are made all the more sobering, considering that phenibut likely plays a big role in the effectiveness of their energy shots. The class-action lawsuit is currently pending against Red Dawn Energy, stay tuned for more updates on this story.