Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0020538 (hypertension)
 170,190 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Eight pediatric accidental overdoses of diphenoxylate-atropine (Lomotil) are reported, and 28 literature cases are reviewed. This overdose is primarily an opioid intoxication, occasionally associated with atropine toxicity. Only 6 of 36 children showed signs of atropine overdose (central nervous system excitement, hypertension, fever, flushed dry skin). Contrary to popular belief, atropine effects occur before, during, or after opioid effects. Opioid overdose (central nervous system and respiratory depression with miosis) predominated or occurred without any signs of atropine toxicity in 33 cases (92%). Diphenoxylate-induced hypoxia was the major problem and was associated with slow or fast respirations, hypotonia or rigidity, cardiac arrest, and in 3 cases cerebral edema and death. Respiratory depression recurred 13 to 24 hours after the ingestion in 7 cases and was probably due to accumulation of difenoxine, an active metabolite of diphenoxylate. Recommended treatment is intravenous naloxone for depressed or inadequate respirations, followed by continuous intravenous naloxone infusion, prompt gastric lavage, repeated administration of activated charcoal, and close monitoring for 24 hours.
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PMID:Diphenoxylate-atropine (Lomotil) overdose in children: an update (report of eight cases and review of the literature) 195 58

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional gastrointestinal disorder involving abnormal motility. The patients are commonly started on symptom control management for IBS - diarrhea subtype by prescribing antimotility agents, usually having opioid agonist activity, and newer medications have been emerging for this as well. Patients sometimes self-medicate themselves to exceedingly high doses of these medications to achieve symptoms control. There are only a few cases of opioid-induced arrhythmia in the literature, primarily loperamide being used as a drug substitute by substance abusers. Still, it has been rarely reported to cause arrhythmia in a patient with IBS. We present a case of a 33-year-old female with a past medical history of hypertension and depression who presented to the emergency department for evaluation of syncope. She had wide complex tachycardia on electrocardiogram (EKG) with prolonged rate-corrected QT interval (QTc). Her medications, including eluxadoline, Lomotil, and loperamide, were held and she was discharged on mexiletine with normal QTc. She did not have any more incidences of arrhythmia. This case highlights the importance of not overdosing on opioid agonist medications prescribed to treat IBS as these can lead to potentially fatal complications. Physicians have to be judicious in promptly determining that the cause of arrhythmia can also be over-the-counter (OTC) medications.
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PMID:Cardiac Dysrhythmia Associated With Opioid Toxicity. 3246 16