Citation

Opaleye ES, Sanchez ZM, Moura YG, Locatelli DP, Noto AR. Addiction 2011; 106(1): 225.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1360-0443.2010.03196.x

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Benzydamine hydrochloride is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, with medical indication for disorders of the oral and vaginal mucosa. It is available in a number of countries and in different pharmaceuticals preparations, such as pills, vaginal douche preparations, mouthwash, dermal cream and aerosol. In Brazil, it can be purchased for less than US$ 5 a unit. One of the few case reports on the recreational use of this substance was a 22 year-old male who discovered information on the web about its hallucinogenic properties and decided to experiment. The subject described a state of hyperactivity, excitation, visual hallucinations and muscle weakness. Recently we also identified the benzydamine recreational use among 2.3% of a sample of 5208 students of Sao Paulo, the largest city of Brazil. The sample was composed of 12 to 18 year-old students from private schools, with the main characteristic of belonging to the wealthiest socioeconomic status of the country. Most of the cases were high school students, and no differences were found between gender.