Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 21, 2026

Behavioral Characterization of Pentylenetetrazole-induced Seizures: Moving Beyond the Racine Scale
07:35

Behavioral Characterization of Pentylenetetrazole-induced Seizures: Moving Beyond the Racine Scale

Published on: July 8, 2025

Unintentional ingestion of ziprasidone in a 22-month-old

Casey Z MacVane1, Michael R Baumann

  • 1Department of Emergency Medicine, Maine Medical Center, Portland, ME 04102, USA. macvac1@mmc.org

Pediatric Emergency Care
|July 17, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Pediatric unintentional ingestions of atypical antipsychotics like ziprasidone are rare but increasing. Emergency physicians should be prepared for these cases, recognizing symptoms such as somnolence and poor tone.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Emergency Medicine
  • Clinical Toxicology
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Unintentional ingestions are frequent emergency department visits for children.
  • Atypical antipsychotic ingestions, specifically ziprasidone, are infrequently documented in emergency medicine literature.
  • Increasing use of novel antipsychotics necessitates awareness among emergency physicians regarding overdose presentations.

Observation:

  • A case report details a 22-month-old girl with unintentional ziprasidone tablet ingestion.
  • The child presented to the emergency department exhibiting somnolence, drooling, and decreased muscle tone.
  • This presentation highlights a less common, yet significant, pediatric toxicology scenario.

Findings:

  • Ziprasidone overdose in a pediatric patient can manifest with central nervous system depression, including somnolence and hypotonia.
  • Clinical presentation may include excessive salivation (drooling).
  • The case underscores the need for familiarity with atypical antipsychotic overdose syndromes.

Implications:

  • Emergency physicians must be prepared to manage pediatric atypical antipsychotic ingestions.
  • Early recognition of ziprasidone overdose symptoms is crucial for timely intervention.
  • Further case reports and studies are needed to fully understand ziprasidone toxicity in children.

More Related Videos

Electromagnetic Source Imaging in Presurgical Evaluation of Children with Drug-Resistant Epilepsy09:57

Electromagnetic Source Imaging in Presurgical Evaluation of Children with Drug-Resistant Epilepsy

Published on: September 20, 2024

Related Concept Videos

Pharmaceutical Poisoning: Potential Scenarios01:26

Pharmaceutical Poisoning: Potential Scenarios

Pharmaceutical poisoning can occur through various channels, impacting an estimated 2 million hospitalized patients in the U.S. annually with serious adverse drug responses. These scenarios encompass both therapeutic uses, such as drug toxicity, where even standard dosages can lead to severe central nervous system depression, and non-therapeutic exposures, including accidental ingestion by children, and environmental and occupational exposures.Unintentional poisonings often involve exploratory...
Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Overview and Drug Absorption01:23

Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Overview and Drug Absorption

Understanding the physiological differences in the pediatric population is crucial for effective pharmacotherapy. Neonates, infants, and children exhibit significant variations in gastric pH, gastric emptying time, intestinal transit time, and biliary function. These variations profoundly affect oral drug absorption, necessitating a nuanced approach to pediatric dosing.Neonates present with a unique physiological profile, having a gastric pH greater than 4 and faster and more irregular gastric...
Antiepileptic Drugs: Potassium Channel Activators01:20

Antiepileptic Drugs: Potassium Channel Activators

Ezocgabine or retigabine, an antiepileptic drug of remarkable efficacy, has revolutionized the management of seizures. It is a potassium channel activator, explicitly targeting the family of Q subtype potassium channels. It enhances the transmembrane potassium currents, regulating neuronal excitability. This action stabilizes the resting membrane potential, a pivotal factor in mitigating the hyperexcitability that characterizes epilepsy.
Ezogabine has gained approval as an adjunctive treatment...
Drug Dosing: Infants and Children01:29

Drug Dosing: Infants and Children

Pediatric patient dosages diverge from adults due to disparities in body surface area, total body water, and extracellular fluid per kilogram of body weight. The dosing regimen considers the variations in pharmacokinetics and pharmacology across distinct age groups, encompassing preterm newborns, infants, young children, older children, and adolescents. Calculation of pediatric patient doses is predicated on determining body surface area, which exhibits a superior correlation with the child's...
Prevention of Further Absorption of Poison01:14

Prevention of Further Absorption of Poison

In cases of acute poisoning, the primary objective is to prevent further absorption of the toxic substance into the body. Immediate interventions using various decontamination techniques targeting the gastrointestinal (GI) tract can achieve this. Decontamination is crucial to prevent poison from entering the systemic circulation, which involves washing affected areas with water and mild soap and removing contaminated clothing. Once external decontamination is done, attention must be turned to...
Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Excretion01:26

Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Excretion

In pediatric medicine, understanding the renal function and drug elimination nuances is crucial for administering safe and effective treatments. Newborns, in particular, display markedly slower renal functions than adults, profoundly affecting how drugs are cleared from their bodies. This slower drug clearance requires clinicians to extend the dosing intervals for many medications to prevent drug accumulation and toxicity while ensuring therapeutic efficacy.One key area where these adjustments...