[Pattern of choice in preparation of attempted suicide by poisoning--with particular reference to changes in the...

This investigation was initiated in 1990 to investigate the choice of preparation in cases of attempted suicide treated in the Emergency Unit in Odense University Hospital during the past decade. The results show that 1) an increase has occurred particularly among young women in the use of analgesics obtainable without prescription (e.g. 13% of young women employed paracetamol as the toxic agent), 2) the number of persons employed dextropropoxyphene did not decrease and 3) a great increase was observed in the number of cases of poisoning with ketobemodoni chloridum. In 1985, several barbiturates were withdrawn from the Danish Medical Codex and this was followed by a decrease in the number of cases of poisoning among women but not among men. At present, approximately 10% of men who poison themselves still employ barbiturates. The number of cases of poisoning with barbiturates in men is thus not reduced but phenobarbital is the preparation of choice. The authors conclude that more attention and care should be paid when prescribing dextropropoxyphene, ketobemodoni chloridum and phenobarbital and the availability of paracetamol without prescription must be debated critically.