Police are reminding the public of the dangers of taking illicit drugs after seven people have sought hospital treatment in the last 48 hours.

A man and a woman have now been released from hospital after it is thought they may have taken Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate or ‘GHB'.

GHB is a class B drug which has a number of side effects including sweating, loss of consciousness, vomiting and hallucinations.

The incidents took place in Auckland and all the patients have since been released. However police say illicit drug taking is a nationwide issue.

Detective Senior Sergeant Marcia Murray says they can't confirm exactly what drugs were taken by the pair until they review the results of a toxicology test but says they are investigating five other cases where women were taken to hospital having consumed an unconfirmed illegal substance.

'We do not yet know if there is anything linking the different cases but we are seriously concerned at the number of people who have been hospitalised and want people to think twice before they take illicit drugs.”

'The consequences of taking illegal substances can be life threatening and we want people to recognise the dangerous risk they are taking.

We are also urging people to seek medical attention if they have taken a drug because of how quickly things can take a turn for the worse,” says Marcia.

'If you are taking substances where you don't know where it is from or what it contains, you are taking a very serious risk with your health and you are putting your life at risk.

We realise this is the time of the year when people are out having a good time but we want everyone to stay safe.”