Author Information
An event is serious (based on the ICH definition) when the patient outcome is:
* death
* life-threatening
* hospitalisation
* disability
* congenital anomaly
* other medically important event
* Drug overdose
A 70-year-old woman1 developed acute encephalopathy due to accidental overdose following ivermectin misuse [route not stated].
The woman was brought to the emergency department (ED) due to altered mental status. She initially complained of nonproductive cough for 5 days. Following a search online for possible COVID-19 treatment, her husband bought ivermectin (veterinarian preparation for horses) at a local store. After discussion with the husband, she took ampoules of ivermectin (each ampoule contained 113.75mg of ivermectin; accidental overdose following drug misuse). Five hours later, her husband noticed that she was difficult to arouse. On presentation, she was afebrile, and her vital signs were normal. Examination revealed that she was able to follow simple commands but nonverbal and was arousable to voice. Laboratory tests including basic metabolic panel and complete blood count were normal. A mild elevation in aminotransferases was observed. Her SARS-Cov-2 RNA test of nasal pharyngeal swab was found positive. Her urine drug screen was also negative. CT scan of the brain and chest X-ray were normal. She was diagnosed with acute encephalopathy related to ivermectin accidental overdose following drug misuse.
The woman was admitted to the ICU for neurological monitoring. A gradual improvement was noted, and after 48 hours, she was discharged without complications.
Footnotes
Country of occurrence, reporter country and primary source country not stated.
Reference
- Morales J, et al. ACUTE ENCEPHALOPATHY AFTER SELF MEDICATION WITH IVERMECTIN IN A PATIENT WITH COVID-19. Chest 160 (Suppl.): A679, No. 4, Oct 2021. Available from: URL: 10.1016/j.chest.2021.07.645 [abstract] [DOI]