Dietary Aid May Counteract Drug Overdose
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An overdose of the antidepressant Wellbutrin can be fatal. But doctors in Philadelphia report that they saved the life of a teenager following a suicide attempt involving the drug generically known as bupropion by using a single dose of a nutritional supplement.
The report in the Annals of Emergency Medicine by emergency room pediatrician Diane Calello of Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and her colleagues sounds like something from the television drama "ER."
A 17-year-old girl who overdosed on Wellbutrin and Lamictal, an anti-seizure drug used to treat her bipolar disorder and attention-deficit problems, sent a text message to a friend saying she was dying. Nearly five hours later paramedics found her at home and unresponsive. Near her body were bottles of pills. EMTs determined she had swallowed nearly eight grams of Wellbutrin -- the typical adult dose is 450 milligrams, according to PDRHealth -- and four grams of Lamictal.
At the hospital, a urine test showed she also had taken amphetamines and tranquilizers, and she tested positive for marijuana and alcohol. Shortly after her arrival in the ER the girl had a seizure, quickly followed by "cardiovascular collapse." Doctors tried to restart her heart using chest compressions, 11 defibrillations and a variety of medications. Nothing worked, the report says.
After nearly an hour, doctors gave the teenager a single intravenous dose of 100 milliliters of Intralipid, a soybean-based supplement given to critically ill patients who cannot get enough fat in their diets. Recent experimental studies have found that this supplement may reverse accidental overdoses of certain kinds of anesthesia.
Within a minute, the girl's steady pulse was restored: "This therapy seemed to bring her back from the brink of death," Calello said.
The girl spent three weeks in the pediatric intensive care unit but recovered "near normal neurological function," the authors report.
The case "suggests a potential therapeutic benefit for this novel antidotal therapy which warrants further evaluation," the authors conclude.
-- Sandra G. Boodman
