phenylephrine-hydrochloride and Drug-Overdose

Concern for illicit and restricted drug use in otolaryngology is similar to other surgical specialties with a few notable exceptions. Many illicit drugs are consumed transnasally. Repeated nasal exposure to stimulants or narcotics can cause local tissue destruction that can present as chronic rhinosinusitis or nasoseptal perforation. Further, the Food and Drug Administration has taken a stance against codeine for pediatric patients undergoing adenotonsillectomy. They have identified an increased risk of death postoperatively with these medications. Because codeine has been the most commonly prescribed narcotic, this has shifted the standard practice.

Topics: Analgesics, Opioid; Codeine; Drug Overdose; Humans; Illicit Drugs; Narcotics; Nasal Septal Perforation; Nose; Osteonecrosis; Otolaryngology; Substance-Related Disorders

Prescription opioid products are often formulated with acetaminophen, but the pharmacokinetics of nasally administered acetaminophen are poorly characterized. We report a case of a potentially toxic acetaminophen concentration after nasal insufflation of oxycodone/acetaminophen tablets.. A 38-year-old female presented to the emergency department after 2 days of nasally insufflating a total of 50 oxycodone/acetaminophen 5/325 mg tablets. On day 3, she was evaluated for nausea and pharyngitis. She denied oral ingestion of the drug. The initial acetaminophen concentration was 14 μg/mL, although the patient had not insufflated any medication in approximately 24 h. Initial AST and ALT were normal. The patient was treated with a 21-h course of intravenous N-acetylcysteine. On hospital day 2, the measured acetaminophen concentration was < 10 μg/mL and the patient's liver enzymes remained within normal limits.. The pharmacokinetics of nasally administered acetaminophen have not been well studied, yet there is potential for significant exposure with prescription opioid abuse. Clinicians should be vigilant in evaluating patients for toxicity due to adjunct medications formulated in narcotic pain preparations used by routes other than ingestion.

Topics: Acetaminophen; Acetylcysteine; Administration, Intranasal; Adult; Drug Combinations; Drug Overdose; Female; Free Radical Scavengers; Humans; Insufflation; Nose; Opioid-Related Disorders; Oxycodone

The recommended dosage of mefloquine to treat Plasmodium falciparum infection is 25 mg/kg, with no recommendation for dosage exceeding 1500 mg. We describe an original case of adverse reaction to mefloquine in an overweight patient.. Case report.. A 32-year-old woman weighing 139 kg presented with uncomplicated P. falciparum infection after returning from Cameroon. She received 3250 mg of mefloquine (i.e. 23 mg/kg) administered in four doses. On day 2, she developed neuropsychiatric disorders and facial lesions. Nasal mucocutaneous vesicles and bullae, depressive mood, mild thrombocytopenia and hepatic cytolysis were evidenced. Parasitemia was negative. Recovery was complete on day 17. High mefloquine serum levels were measured (8.030 mg/L on day 3, 6.880 mg/L on day 8, and 3.370 mg/L on day 17).. The causal relationship between mefloquine and the occurrence of these adverse effects is probable. However, as no viral or bacteriological investigations were performed, the drug responsibility remains uncertain. Mefloquine-induced bullous and facial lesions reversible upon drug withdrawal have already been described. The associated neuropsychiatric symptoms were strongly suggestive of mefloquine adverse effects, as such events are more frequently observed in cases of overdosage. Our case emphasizes the difficulties of dosage adaptation in overweight patients.

Topics: Adult; Antimalarials; Blister; Drug Overdose; Female; Humans; Malaria, Falciparum; Mefloquine; Nose; Overweight

A 75-year-old woman with a previous repair of a cribiform plate fracture was nasotracheally intubated following a suicide attempt. Twenty-one days later she was readmitted to the hospital with a massive pneumocephalus, followed by a terminal intracranial hemorrhage. Nasotracheal intubation as a contributing factor in the development of pneumocephalus is previously unreported.

Topics: Aged; Cerebral Hemorrhage; Drug Overdose; Female; Humans; Intubation, Intratracheal; Nose; Pneumocephalus; Poisoning; Suicide, Attempted; Temazepam; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Topics: Aerosols; Drug Overdose; Humans; Nebulizers and Vaporizers; Nose; Tooth Extraction