Background. dextromethorphan (dXM) is a widely used over-the-counter antitussive drug. in supratherapeutic doses, it exerts psychoactive effects. Use of dXM seems very common among people seeking 'illegal or legal highs'. Objectives. the aim of the study is to assess the social and psychological features of dXM users. Material and methods. data on dXM poisoning (n = 103; adults and youths) in lodz Province from January 2011 to March 2015 were obtained. Furthermore, analyses of the psychological or psychiatric examination of patients were performed. the symptoms of acute intoxication and ingested doses were reported to evaluate the course and possible tolerance. Results. recreational dXM poisoning was the main reason for the admission of the majority of patients (53%). this phenomenon was observed mainly in the group of adolescents and young adults. the average dose ranged from 5 up to 120 pills of 15 mg each. coadministration with alcohol was reported in 45% of patients. clinical presentation included predominantly balance disorders, psychomotor retardation and agitation. there was a difference in psychosocial risk factors between genders: living alone and relationship problems were significantly more frequent in females. Conclusions. our study highlights gender differences in psychosocial risk factors for dXM use, a potential role of the family environment, substance addiction, and organic diseases in the development of dXM dependence. SummaryISSN 1734-3402, eISSN 2449-8580 this is an open access article distributed under the terms of the creative commons attribution-noncommercial-sharealike 4.0 international (cc by-nc-sa 4.0). license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/). Koziarska-rościszewska M, Piątek a, Kobza-sindlewska K, Krakowiak M, winnicka r, Krakowiak a. dextromethorphan recreational use and poisoning -the social and psychological background. Fam Med Prim Care Rev 2018; 20(2): 139-143, doi: https://

Poisoning is considered a significant health problem among elderly people in Poland. This report refers to patients treated for poisonings at the Toxicology Unit, Lodz, Poland, during the period 2008–2012. The data to be analyzed were obtained from medical records of elderly people. A group of 1167 patients aged 60+ was selected. The number of intentional poisonings in the group of patients was 417, which accounted for 35.7% of all poisonings among the elderly people. Patients attempting intentional poisonings included 301 (72.2%) women and 116 (27.8%) men. The most common cause of intentional poisonings were drugs—96.6% ( n = 403). Benzodiazepines (46.9%) dominated among the intentional poisoning by drugs. During the analyzed 5 years, 80.3% ( n = 335) were suicidal poisonings and 19.7% ( n = 82) were demonstrative poisonings. Cardiovascular disease, which was diagnosed among 53.5% of the patients, was the most common physical illness. In conclusion, drugs are the most frequent type of the toxic agent responsible for poisoning cases among the elderly people. In this situation, the role of family doctors is very important: they should prescribe medicines in amounts not greater than absolutely necessary and maybe more often recommend psychiatric care for the elderly patients.

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Background: Acute pesticide poisonings constitute an important toxicological problem in numerous countries. This report refers to patients treated for poisonings at the Toxicology Unit, Łódź, Poland, in the period 2004−2014. Material and Methods: Data to be analyzed were obtained from medical records of hospitalized people. A group of 24 301 patients aged ≥ 15 were selected. In the group of 149 people poisoned with pesticides (0.61% of all poisoning cases), there were 40 women and 109 men. Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the impact of age on suicide attempts using pesticides. Results: Suicide attempts significantly more frequently concerned younger people. In this type of behavior, coumarin derivatives were significantly more often used than organophosphorus compounds or pesticides classified as "others. " The patients with suicidal pesticide poisonings stayed in the ward significantly longer than those poisoned unintentionally. Conclusions: In the analyzed population inhabiting an area with a high degree of urbanization, in terms of the place of residence and employment, pesticide poisonings were more common in men than in women. Suicide attempts using pesticides more frequently concerned younger people. Information found in this study may prove useful for education purposes, and also in informing clinicians. Med Pr. 2019;70(6):655-67

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