Propoxyphene Hydrochloride Poisoning

Abstract

PROPOXYPHENE HYDROCHLORIDE (Darvon) has become a widely used analgesic with toxic properties that have been previously noted in accidental childhood poisonings and suicide attempts.^1-3,6A recent fatality in a teenage girl is the subject of this report. It is the first reported death from propoxyphene poisoning and confirms the clinical pattern of earlier nonfatal cases. <h3>Report of a Case</h3> At 9:30 am on Feb 20, 1963, a 15-year-old female willfully ingested forty 32-mg capsules of propoxyphene hydrochloride which had been prescribed for menstrual cramps. She was reported to the school nurse who gave her an emetic and contacted her parents. The parents found the patient drowsy but able to state clearly what she had ingested and the exact quantity taken. En route to the hospital she became progressively more lethargic and vomited a pink material on two occasions. She arrived at the emergency room at 10:30 am in a