Young children and older adults may be severely affected, Always taking the right dose of medication at recommended times, Avoiding drugs that might interact with tetrahydrozoline, Exercising caution while taking multiple drugs with tetrahydrozoline, Keeping medications out of reach of children in child-proof containers, For older individuals and those who tend to be forgetful, medications should be stored in single dose containers with time labels, to avoid multiple dosage, Monitor use of this medication, especially in patients who have depression or harbor suicidal thoughts and behavior, Call 911 (or your local emergency number) for emergency assistance, if symptoms are life-threatening, Call Poison Control Center at 1-800-222-1222 (or the local poison control center) and follow the recommend steps. In: Aronson JK, ed. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Scared of Eye Drops? Typically, correct use is no more than two drops in your eyes six times a day. It is commonly found in drops that are intended to relive irritation and get the red out. The products are safe when used as directed, by narrowing blood vessels, the Food and Drug Administration says. . Even a small ingestion can cause clinical signs of vomiting, lethargy/depression or . TETRAHYDROZOLINE (tet-ra-hye-DROZ-oh-leen) is a decongestant. More than 1,600 cases of oral exposures are reported to United States poison centers annually (1,2). In October 2003, an unnamed Southern California high school student put eye drops in teacher's water bottle in an attempt to give his instructor severe diarrhea. follows rigorous standards of quality and accountability. North County Gazette. The products contain the active ingredients tetrahydrozoline, naphazoline, or oxymetazoline. Flynn, George. (Photo: Getty Images). URL of this page: //medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002590.htm. Eye drops go in your eyes. DO NOT make a person throw up unless told to do so by poison control or a health care professional. Tetrahydrozoline Poisoning can be prevented by: It is important to give your healthcare provider a complete list of prescription and non-prescription medications that are being currently taken. "Chills, sweats, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea. We present a case of tetrahydrozoline ingestion in an adult who presented with chest pain, bradycardia, mental status depression, miosis, and other signs and symptoms of imidazole compound poisoning. Our state-of-the-art medical center serves an urban population of 1 million from north Florida to south Georgia. "Severe Nausea and Vomiting with Timolol Eye Drops." 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Interestingly, despite its reputation as a gastrointestinal irritant, diarrhea is not a common side effect of tetrahydrozoline consumption. Thank. The movie I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell and the television series Orange Is The New Black both had scenes in which this happened. "Generally, symptoms can occur in as little as one hour, peaking at eight hours, and resolving . Products like Visine contain tetrahydrozoline HCI, according to http://Healthguidance.org, and this substance is known to cause diarrhea, nausea, severe breathing difficulty, respiratory failure, tremors, blurred vision, seizures, coma and even death. Exposure is common in young children, who unintentionally ingest it, but cases have been rising in the adult population. This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information: verify here. King World Productions Inc. 2023 Inside Edition Inc. and CBS interactive Inc., Paramount companies. [Medford, OR] Mail Tribune. If it is established that a person is a regular drug user, then raise the number of milligrams for MLD by 33%. "Crater Lake Worker Called Visine Poisoning a 'Harmless Prank.' Tetrahydrozoline is a chemical thats in many of these drops. Together we create unstoppable momentum. Toxicology tests showed the woman had a fatal dose of tetrahydrozoline . (2013). Why do my eyes burn after using eye drops? New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, The Blavatnik Family Chelsea Medical Center, Heart - Cardiology and Cardiovascular Surgery, Mount Sinai Center for Asian Equity and Professional Development, Preparing for Surgery and Major Procedures, Changes in blood pressure (high at first, low later), The name of the product (ingredients and strengths if known), ECG (electrocardiogram, or heart tracing), Fluids through the vein (intravenous or IV). They will give you further instructions. Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat. The defendant initially pleaded not guilty to the charge, but had a change of heart this week. Apparently, her death had a sweetheart of an insurance pay-out: $250,000. DO NOT use it to treat or manage an actual poison exposure. It was a popular one with the ancient Greeks, who used it to kill off their prisoners. But the agency has warned that if ingested, the chemical, and others like it that narrow blood vessels, may cause serious and life-threatening adverse events.. Learn about UF clinical research studies that are seeking volunteers. A criminal complaint accuses Jessy R. Kurczewski, 36, of using eye drops to poison her friend Lynn Hernan at her Pewaukee, Wisconsin home. That same month, an autopsy by Waukesha County Medical Examiner Linda Biedrzycki showed that Hernan had a fatal dose of tetrahydrozolinethe main ingredient in over-the-counter eye dropsin . It also figures in murder charges against Joshua Lee Hunsucker, a North Carolina paramedic accused of killing his wife, Stacy Hunsucker, 32, in 2018, allegedly for life insurance money, the state Department of Insurance said when announcing his arrest last month. . You can thank tetrahydrozoline for helping do this. "Visine Prank Leads to Day in Court." Foreign objects like batteries and toys. Wahi, M. M., Stone, K. V., Chance, M., & Miller, C. E. (2017). Aronson JK. Because cats cannot metabolize acetaminophen, it builds up in the blood. Both options are free, expert, and confidential. Teenagers and adults who drink larger amounts may also experience heart rhythm abnormalities and breathing problems that can be life-threatening. state Department of Insurance said when announcing his arrest last month. "Student Accused of Poison Attempt." 2003 Oct;25(3):297-302. Learn how we can help. MILWAUKEE Prosecutors have accused a suburban Milwaukee woman of killing her friend by poisoning her with eyedrops. Aronson JK. With such severe and potentially deadly risks, it is just not worth the squeeze. Medical literature reports other cases of small children brought to the brink of crisis by ingestion of tiny amounts of over-the-counter eye drops. Also, dont believe the full-of-poop claims that such eyes drops can be a way of giving someone explosive diarrhea. It matters not if actual harm results from the attempt the act itself is enough to land one in the hoosegow. A 33-year-old Pennsylvania woman could spend the rest of her life in prison after admitting to police that she repeatedly poisoned her boyfriend with Visine eye drops for more than three years in . WPMT-TV [York, PA]. Not your mouth. Standard operative procedures and auditing for poisoning cases in India. There it can get. ; Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0; additional terms may . 25.1K subscribers Lana Sue Clayton used Visine eye drops to poison her husband, Steven Clayton. A North Carolina paramedic is accused of using an ingredient found in eye drops and nasal spray to cause the death of his wife in 2018.. Joshua Lee Hunsucker, 35, appeared in a Gaston County court . Imidazolines (like oxymetazoline and tetrahydrozoline) are commonly found in over-the-counter eye drops and nasal sprays. Clinical Pediatrics. Bongioanni, Carlos. Co-located with the Shands Jacksonville Hospital, the Jacksonville Health Science Center excels in education, research and patient care that expresses our abiding values of compassion, excellence, professionalism and innovation. Instruction Courses and Skills Transfer Labs, Program Participant and Faculty Guidelines, LEO Continuing Education Recognition Award, What Practices Are Saying About the Registry, Provider Enrollment, Chain and Ownership System (PECOS), Subspecialty/Specialized Interest Society Directory, Subspecialty/Specialized Interest Society Meetings, Minority Ophthalmology Mentoring Campaign, Global Programs and Resources for National Societies, Red-Eye Drops: Poisonous to Drink, Safe If Used Correctly, Gotas para los ojos rojos: venenosas para beber, seguras si se usan correctamente. The main systemic effects are . While poisoning symptoms are uncommon after applying the drops to the eyes, these agents can produce significant poisoning if taken orally. Symptoms Symptoms may include: Coma Difficulty breathing or no breathing Blurred vision Blue lips and fingernails Change in pupil size Changes in blood pressure (high at first, low later) Fast heartbeat Headache Irritability Low body temperature Nausea and vomiting Nervousness Seizures Tremors (unintentional trembling) Home Care It should never be ingested for the consequences can even be fatal The amount will vary, even a small amount can be lethal. Symptoms Symptoms may include: Altered mental state Coma (lack of responsiveness) Difficulty breathing or no breathing Blurred vision Blue lips and fingernails 4 Available since the 1950s, tetryzoline is a selective 1-receptor agonist 5 that is used as an ocular and nasal decongestant. Help is available online with web POISON CONTROL or by phone at 1-800-222-1222. It reduces redness in the eye caused by minor eye irritations. Yet it is not only toddlers who risk central nervous system shutdown or other dire results if they swallow Visine, as demonstrated by the following examples: Revenge seekers still not quite convinced that a Visine mickey finn won't produce the diarrheal results they crave, or that the drinking of such a potion could potentially result in a life-threatening medical crisis in the object of their prank, should consider one final fact: the act of secreting noxious substances in ingestibles for the purpose of bringing harm to others is called poisoning. When consumed orally, tetrahydrozoline passes quickly through the gastrointestinal tract, rapidly reaching the blood and the central nervous system. is among the first to achieve this important distinction for online health information and services. You dont want them putting even a few milliliters of the stuff into their mouths. Symptoms Symptoms may include: Altered mental state Coma (lack of responsiveness) Difficulty breathing or no breathing Blurred vision Blue lips and fingernails Changes in blood pressure (high at first, low later) Change in pupil size Fast or slow heartbeat Headache Irritability Low body temperature Nausea and vomiting Nervousness, tremors Seizures The person may receive: Survival past 24 hours is usually a good sign that the person will recover.Some individuals may have long-lasting complications if multiple organs are damaged by the drug. Yin S. Over-the-counter cough and cold preparations: Approach to pediatric poisoning. A woman is accused of poisoning her husband with over-the-counter eye drops, which led to his death, according to cops. Lana Sue Clayton in a 2018 booking photo. is also a founding member of Hi-Ethics. Snopes and the Snopes.com logo are registered service marks of Snopes.com. The comments below have not been moderated, Tragedy as high school track athlete dies after being hit by a discus during competition, Father and daughter plunge hand-in-hand to their deaths from bridge while holding their pet Chihuahua, Ken Bruce finishes his 30-year tenure as host of BBC Radio 2, Insane moment river of rocks falls onto Malibu Canyon in CA, Pavement where disabled woman gestured at cyclist before fatal crash, Pro-Ukrainian drone lands on Russian spy planes exposing location, 'Buster is next!' We report a case of unintentional tetrahydrozoline ingestion with cardiovascular . Then theres the case of Joshua Lee Hunsucker, a former paramedic in North Carolina, whos been charged with first degree murder, as described by Mark Price for the Charlotte Observer. DO NOT make a person throw up unless told to do so by poison control or a health care professional. Because tetrahydrozoline ingestion can cause significant toxicity in young children, it is very important for parents and caregivers of young children to be aware of this potentially very dangerous poison. Your local poison control center can be reached directly by calling the national toll-free Poison Help hotline (1-800-222-1222) from anywhere in the United States. While it is true that Visine is readily obtainable (it's an non-prescription eye drop manufactured by pharmaceutical giant Pfizer), a drink spiked with it is not a sure-fire means of producing diarrhea in the one unfortunate enough to swallow it, and ingestion of such a concoction is downright dangerous, making this "harmless" form of retaliation fraught with hazard. Dont do most things that he did. The chemical can also cause tremors and seizures." It appears the recent Visine poisoning in California was not intended to be fatal, but experts also warn that the common prank can turn deadly. Wolfhagen, F.H.J., et al. Ive reached out to Visine and Johnson & Johnson for comment on these cases. One thing tetrahydrozoline has not been known to do is to cause sudden onset bouts of severe diarrhea. Visine is clearly labeled for external use only and should never be swallowed.. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. On Thursday, the woman, Lana Sue Clayton, 53, a former Veterans Affairs nurse, was sentenced to 25 years in prison for killing her husband, Stephen D. Clayton, 64, at their home in Clover, S.C., the documents show. Seek medical help right away. This article is for information only. Topic 16258 Version 15.0, November 2020. Jacob L. Heller, MD, MHA, Emergency Medicine, Emeritus, Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle, WA. Established in 1923, the College of Pharmacy is the oldest college in the UF Academic Health Center. The chemical in eye drops, tetrahydrozoline, works great on the eyes, but if swallowed in significant quantities, it can attack the nervous system and be deadly. That can be like taking ibuprofen for pain caused by a harpoon stuck in you without first saying, maybe, I should do something about this harpoon stuck in me.. Always read the label before using any over-the-counter (OTC) product. Accessed June 8, 2021. He was found dead in the homeon July 21. Seek medical help right away. Call poison control and get emergency care as soon as possible.