Refer to: Barry D, Meyskens FL Jr, Becker CE: Phenothiazine poison- ing-A review of 48 cases. Calif Med 118:1-5, Jan 1973 California Medicine THE WESTERN JOURNAL OF MEDICINE Phenothiazine Poisoning A Review of 48 Cases DANIEL BARRY, B.A., FRANK L. MEYSKENS, JR., M.D., AND CHARLES E. BECKER, M.D., San Francisco * Of 48 cases of phenothiazine poisoning that were analyzed, 34 were attributed to stuicide attempts, nine to accidental ingestion, and five to drug reactions. As outpatient treatment of schizophrenia increases, cases of over- dose with phenothiazine drugs may be expected to increase also. The prescribing of multiple phenothiazines and antidepressants is probably contributory to the occurrence of mixed drug ingestions. The symptoms and signs of phenothiazine poisoning are largely predictable if the atropine-like, alpha-blocking, quinidine-like, and extrapyramidal actions of phenothiazines are appreciated, Unexplain- able tachypnea and paradoxical miosis were noted in severe cases. In one case in the study phenothiazine intoxication was present in the newborn infant of a schizophrenic mother. PHENOTHIAZINES ARE BECOMING household drugs tionable advertising campaigns advocating phe- in Califomnia. The closing of state hospitals with nothiazines for the treatment of a wide variety the concomitant institution of mass outpatient of ailments have made these drugs generally treatment of chronic schizophrenics through com- available. The high incidence of schizophrenia munity mental health centers, and recent quesv in young adulthood and the increasing suicide From the Detoxification Unit, San Francisco General Hospital, and rate in this age group" suggest that phenothia- the Department of Clinical Pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco. zine poisoning will become increasingly common. Submitted June 14, 1972. Two large literature reviews of psychotropic over- At the time of this study Mr. Barry and Dr. Meyskens were third and fourth year students respectively attending the University of Cali- dose have appeared recently, but the cited case fornia, San Francisco. Reprint requests to: C. E. Becker M.D., Director, Detoxification studies were small and seemed largely to involve Unit, San Francisco General I4ospitaf, 1001 Potrero Avenue, San Fran- cisco, Ca. 94110. only severe ingestion illness.2,3 An examination CALIFORNIA MEDICINE I The Western Journal of Medicine of the problem of phenothiazine overdosage was TABLE l.-General Data on 48 Cases of Phenothia- therefore undertaken. To that end the presenta- zine Poisoning tion, management, and outcome of 48 consecutive Suicide Attempts Accidental Ingestions cases of phenothiazine poisoning were retrospec- Total 34 9 tively analyzed. single drug 19 7 multiple drug 15 2 Clinical Material Sex San Francisco General Hospital, a 1200-bed male 14 7 facility affiliated with the University of California female 20 2 Medical Center, recently instituted a computer Race white 32 2 card index according to final major diagnosis of non-white 2 7 all admissions. All charts (except two which were unavailable) coded under "tranquilizer tox- Marital Status married 5 icity" from October of 1969 to May of 1971 were single 29 48 studied, and cases involving phenothiazine Age (yrs) Age (yrs) overdosage as the major contributing event lead- Less than 26 21 Less than 5 8 ing to admittance to hospital were selected for More than 26 13 More than 5 1 further analysis. Included in the cases studied were suicide attempts, accidental drug ingestions, and serious drug reactions. The charts were analyzed for recorded drug type and amount, TABLE 2.-Phenothiazines Involved in Overdoses Phenothiaztne With Other sex, age, race, marital status, vital signs, eye signs, Phenothiazine* only drugs** mental status, treatment, complications, and Chlorpromazine (Thorazine®) 16 8 length of stay. Since many charts were incom- Trifluoperzine ( Stellazine®) 4 7 plete, complete information was not available on Thioridazine (Mellaril®) 3 2 every patient. Because definite toxicology reports Promazine (Sparine®) 1 0 were generally not recorded, objective confirma- Unknown 2 0 tion of the history was often impossible. In all *in amounts ranging from 200 to 500 mg four cases in which it was done, Phenostix testing **included Elavil®4, alcohol2, Artane®2, Librium® and 16 other of the urine was positive-in one case after dilu- drugs in single instances tion of the urine. TABLE 3.-Initial Vital Signs 'in 26* Cases of Over- Results dose with Phenothiazine Only Sociology (Table 1). Suicide gestures were No. of No. of most common in single, young, white women. Patients Patients Multiple drug ingestion was common (15 of Temperature 980 or less 10 990 or more 5 34 cases). Accidental ingestion seemed to in- Pulse 700 or less 2 1000 or more 10 volve the non-white community disproportionate- Respiration 120 or less 0 250 or more 6 ly. Phenothiazines of many varieties were in- Blood Pressure systolic 1100 or less 3 1300 or more 4 volved (Table 2). diastolic 700 or less 12 900 or more 1 Vital signs (Table 3). Phenothiazine poison- *Complete data absetit in many cases ing is characterized by a tendency toward hypo- thermia, tachyeardia, tachypnea, and decreased diastolic blood pressure. TABLE 4.-Initial Mental Status of 43 Patients for Mental status (Table 4). A clear tendency to- Whom Data Were Available ward greater obtundation was noted in cases of mixed drug overdoses. Eye signs. No trend was noted in the mixed drug overdoses. However, in thfe 12 reported .4~~~~.0 cases of pure phenothiazine overdoses in which With phenothiazine only 2 14 10 2.2 0 information was available (the more serious in- With other drugs 5 9 3 2.8 6 2 JANUARY 1973 * 118 * I gestions) pupil size in nine cases was "small" (3 thiazine-poisoned patient. Although unavailabil- mm or less). Only in three cases were the pupils ity of toxicological data prevented confirmation greater than 4 mm in diameter. of the history and the ruling out of mixed, occult ingestions, which are known to occur frequently,5 Treatment distinct trends were evident in the patients said to have taken only phenothiazines. The hypo- Treatment included administration of ipecac thermia, tachyeardia, and decreased diastolic (15 cases), gastric lavage (nine cases), intrave- blood pressure can be directly attributed to al- nous hydration (25 cases), and intravenous di- pha-blocking and anticholinergic effects. Hypo- phenylhydramine (Benadryl®) in three cases. thermia can be relieved by appropriate covering6 Methylphenidate (Ritalin®) had been given to while the decreased blood pressure, largely sec- two children at other hospitals before they were ondary to alpha-blockade, can be easily managed transferred to San Francisco General. Interest- by putting the patient in the reverse Trendelen- ingly intubation was not needed in any case in burg position, by volume expansion, or in more which only phenothiazine was ingested, but it extreme cases by use of direct-acting alpha stim- was required in six cases of mixed overdose. ulators.24,7 Epinephrine with its mixed alpha and beta effect and isoproterenol hydrochloride Prognosis (IsuprelR) with its largely beta action are there- None of the 48 patients died and half of them fore contraindicated. The tachypnea noted in needed less than 24 hours in hospital. The aver- these cases has not been noted previously (see age stay of the other 24 was 3.4 days and the reference 4), and an explanation is difficult to longest was 31 days. Potentially serious compli- formulate. Small pupil size noted in 75 percent cations were noted in 17 of the 24 patients with of the patients who had taken only phenothiazine the longer stay in hospital. (Tables 5 and 6). was a surprising finding, and it was observed only in the most severely poisoned. This phe- Discussion nomenon may represent an overriding of the atro- pinic effect by the alpha-blocking effect of phe- In addition to their antipsychotic activity, the nothiazines and may serve as a clinical clue to phenothiazines possess significant anticholinergic, the severity of the overdose. This important ob- alpha-adrenergic blocking, quinidine-like and ex- servation requires further confirmation. The importance of these trapyramidal activity.4 Prolonged QT interval which reverted sponta- modes of action becomes evident in the pheno- neously was noted in three cases. Although this is not well documented, persistent widening and QRS changes apparently can be treated effectively TABLE 5.-Complications of Phenothiazine Overdose with diphenylhydantoin (Dilantin®l) 8 The in- creased incidence of sudden death in phenothia- C~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 5 zine-treated patients may be related to this 0~~~~~~~~~~~~~ K quinidine-like effect,9 and certainly an initial .sCA ,5 O ,, _~~ cardiogram is indicated for all phenothiazine- -9 .XC Chlorpromazine seizure 1 1.3 TABLE 6.-Phenothiazine Reactions (Thorazine®) prolonged QT interval 1 16* distended bladder 1 3 Description of disorder Tranquilizer aspiration pneumonia --- 1 ) Respiratory depression in the new- Fluphenazine Thioridazine ataxia 1 11.8 born of a schizophrenic mother (Prolixin®) (Mellaril®) aspiration pneumonia 1 _- 2) Photosensitivity reaction-vessicles Chlorpromazine Prochlorpenajine ataxia-rigidity 1 33.4 of hands and face (Thorazine®) (Compazine®) 3) Inability to open mouth after treat- Chlorpromazine Triflupromazin athetoid movement 1 1.3 ment of heroin withdrawal (Stellazine®)O~~~~, 4) Drug fever (105°F), with history ChlorpromazineX Unknown rigidity 1 of allergy prolonged QT 2 16 5) Cogwheel rigidity Thioridazine *As noted by David, Bartlett and Termoni10 (Mellaril®) CALIFORNIA MEDICINE 3 The Western Journal of Medicine poisoned patients. Although it does sometimes occur, death is a rarity in such cases.10 The low mortality rate may reflect at least in part a tend- ency to attribute late deaths to other causes. An analysis of potential complications as noted in this study might indicate much more frequent serious sequelae to drug ingestion than are gen- erally reported in other studies.1"2 It is of inter- est, however, that all patients with complications in the present study recovered.