title: Cyclizine abuse by teenagers in Utah.
abstract: Substance abuse by teenagers is common, often involving use of alcohol and illicit drugs. Ingestion of cyclizine hydrochloride, a nonprescription medication, was noted to occur frequently in Utah for abuse reasons. A retrospective review was conducted of patients younger than 18 years of age over a 3-year period who intentionally ingested cyclizine identified from Utah Poison Control Center records. Eighty patients were included; 42 patients underwent hospital record review. Abuse accounted for 89% of cyclizine ingestions; hallucinations (70%) and confusion/disorientation (40%) were the most notable symptoms. Tachycardia (52%) and systolic hypertension (69%) were frequently present in patients who presented to a hospital. No serious complications occurred. This study illustrates teenage abuse of one nonprescription antihistamine presumably to induce hallucinations. Abuse of over-the-counter medications by adolescents may be more appealing than illicit drug use for numerous reasons, and may be more common than appreciated.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah School of Medicine, USA.
authors.forename: K E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Bassett
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Schunk
authors.forename: B I
authors.initials: BI
authors.lastname: Crouch
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D003501:Cyclizine; D062787:Drug Overdose; D005260:Female; D006212:Hallucinations / Q000139:chemically induced; D006634:Histamine H1 Antagonists; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015337:Multicenter Studies as Topic; D004366:Nonprescription Drugs; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013406:Suicide, Attempted; D014589:Utah / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D006634:Histamine H1 Antagonists; D004366:Nonprescription Drugs; D003501:Cyclizine