A healthy 3-year-old boy presented to our emergency department with su
dden onset of abnormal movement. This patient had been treated for 2 d
ays with conventional doses of an antihistamine/decongestant cold prep
aration for upper respiratory infection symptoms. The child was confus
ed and restless, with posturing of limbs. Cranial nerve function was i
ntact. Gastric lavage yielded an aspirate the same color as the cold s
yrup the child had ingested. A diagnosis of dystonic reaction was made
, and the child was treated with benztropine, which effected resolutio
n of his symptoms. This is the first reported case in the literature o
f dystonia induced by an antihistamine and treated with benztropine.