CYCLIZINE ABUSE BY TEENAGERS IN UTAH

Substance abuse by teenagers is common, often involving use of alcohol and illicit drugs, Ingestion of cyclizine hydrochloride, a nonprescri ption medication, was noted to occur frequently in Utah for abuse reas ons, 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 w ere included; 42 patients underwent hospital record review, Abuse acco unted for 89% of cyclizine ingestions; hallucinations (70%) and confus ion/disorientation (40%) were the most notable symptoms, Tachycardia ( 52%) and systolic hypertension (69%) were frequently present in patien ts who presented to a hospital, No serious complications occurred, Thi s study illustrates teenage abuse of one nonprescription antihistamine presumably to induce hallucinations, Abuse of over the counter medica tions by adolescents may be more appealing than illicit drug use for n umerous reasons, and may be more common than appreciated. Copyright (C ) 1996 by W.B. Saunders Company