Self-Injury with Carbamazepine Intoxication in an Elementary School-Aged Child

Carbamazepine is a common anticonvulsant medication used to treat seizure disorders and is generally considered a safe medication. We describe the case of a 9-year-old female who presented with acute altered mental status and respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation. She was found to be...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Case reports in pediatrics 2022-05, Vol.2022, p.5135456-4
Main Authors: Shieh, Andrew, Schellpfeffer, Natalie
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Blood
Cardiac arrhythmia
Case Report
Case reports
Child & adolescent psychiatry
Children & youth
Chromatography
Coma
Convulsions & seizures
Dysarthria
Elementary schools
Hemodialysis
Intensive care
Intoxication
Mental disorders
Monitoring systems
Patients
Pediatrics
Respiratory failure
Self destructive behavior
Suicides & suicide attempts
Urine
Vital signs
Citations: Items that this one cites
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Summary:Carbamazepine is a common anticonvulsant medication used to treat seizure disorders and is generally considered a safe medication. We describe the case of a 9-year-old female who presented with acute altered mental status and respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation. She was found to be intoxicated with carbamazepine through a urine drug test which was confirmed by bloodwork. After her medical condition improved, the patient admitted to self-injury through ingestion to cope with the death of a family member. She received a complete psychiatric assessment and was eventually discharged without permanent neurologic sequelae. To our knowledge, this is the first case of intentional self-injury with carbamazepine intoxication in an elementary school-aged child. When intoxication is suspected in children presenting with altered mental status, all medications available at home should be investigated. Preadolescent children may engage in nonfatal self-injury behavior, and diagnosis requires a high index of suspicion.
ISSN:2090-6803
2090-6811
DOI:10.1155/2022/5135456