Citation

Horikawa Y, Yatsuga S, Okamatsu Y. Cureus 2021; 13(9): e17922.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2021, Curēus)

DOI

10.7759/cureus.17922

PMID

34660114

PMCID

PMC8512573

Abstract

Recently, high concentrations of caffeine present in energy drinks and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs have become a concern worldwide. Several deaths due to caffeine intoxication have been reported, necessitating caution. Typically, supportive care is used to treat caffeine intoxication. However, in severe cases of caffeine intoxication, hemodialysis may be used. For adults, a lethal blood caffeine concentration is at least 80 µg/mL, whereas lethal blood caffeine concentration is unknown for children. In the present case, a 15-year-old girl took a large dose of an OTC antipyretic analgesic to commit suicide, resulting in caffeine intoxication. In this case, even though blood caffeine concentration was higher than the adult lethal dose, the patient recovered through a simple treatment with intravenous infusion of extracellular fluid.

Language: en

Keywords

suicide; caffeine; overdose; intoxication; antipyretic analgesic