FRIDAY, April 27 (HealthDay News) -- Physicians should be aware of the potential side effects of a new type of party drug containing 1-benzylpiperazine because commercially available urine toxicology screening kits may not detect it, according to a case report published in the April 28 issue of The Lancet.
David M. Wood, M.D., of Guy's and St. Thomas' Poisons Unit in London, U.K., and colleagues report on the case of an 18-year-old woman who was admitted to hospital after she collapsed and had a seizure in a nightclub where she had taken five tablets she believed to be Ecstasy or amphetamines. Upon hospitalization she was agitated, had sinus tachycardia and dilated pupils as well as low blood pressure and body temperature.
She was treated with intravenous benzodiazepines and was discharged after 12 hours by which time she was asymptomatic. The only recreational drug found in the woman's blood was 1-benzylpiperazine. Screening for piperazines, other drugs and alcohol came up negative.
"All patients with strongly suspected or reported ingestion of 1-benzylpiperazine should have an initial baseline ECG, to seek features of cardiotoxicity. They should be observed for up to eight hours after ingestion, because the onset of seizures can be delayed," the authors advise. "Further management can require the advice of a clinical toxicologist."
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