Magical thinking and imipramine poisoning in two school-age children

Two young school-aged boys took an overdose of imipramine hydrochloride to help their enuresis. One child died, and the other required resuscitation. An office survey found that one third of school-aged children did not realize the potentially hazadous consequences of taking extra amounts of prescription medications. Physicians might be able to prevent similar needless tragedies by warning both the child and the parents of the unusual lethality of imipramine and other dangerous prescription drugs.