Fatal nefopam overdose

Nefopam hydrochloride (Acupan) is a potent non-opioid analgesic widely used for the relief of moderate to severe postoperative pain. The drug is generally well tolerated, but it has a broad spectrum of side effects including tachycardia, sweating, nausea, seizures and hallucinations. When taken in o...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inEmergency medicine journal : EMJ Vol. 27; no. 5; pp. 407 - 408
Main Authors Kerr, Deborah E, Fletcher, Alan K
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published England BMJ Publishing Group LTD 01.05.2010
Subjects
Analgesics
Analgesics, Non-Narcotic - poisoning
Cardiac arrhythmia
Drug Overdose - etiology
Fatal Outcome
Hallucinations
Heart Arrest - chemically induced
Humans
Male
Narcotics
Nefopam - poisoning
Patients
Suicide
Toxicology
Young Adult
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Summary:Nefopam hydrochloride (Acupan) is a potent non-opioid analgesic widely used for the relief of moderate to severe postoperative pain. The drug is generally well tolerated, but it has a broad spectrum of side effects including tachycardia, sweating, nausea, seizures and hallucinations. When taken in overdose, nefopam has been reported to cause cardiac conduction abnormalities, cerebral oedema, fever and renal failure. The case is presented of a previously healthy 19-year-old man who presented to the emergency department in cardiac arrest following intentional nefopam overdose. It is only the fourth reported case of fatal nefopam overdose in the literature.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Case Study-2
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-4
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ISSN:1472-0205
1472-0213
DOI:10.1136/emj.2009.082974