Monoamine oxidase inhibitor poisoning resulting from Internet misinformation on illicit substances.
Journal of toxicology. Clinical toxicology – January 01, 2004
Source: PubMed
Summary
Online drug misinformation can have dangerous real-world consequences. A recent case highlighted how an adolescent's search for information on illicit substances led to severe poisoning. The individual combined harmaline and 5-MeO-DMT, substances found through Internet misinformation, resulting in a critical health event. This finding underscores the serious risks associated with unregulated online drug advice.
Abstract
The Internet may represent a new mechanism by which adolescents initiate the use of illicit substances. The existence of multiple partisan websites providing misinformation regarding the safety of these substances may lead to an increase in unsafe behavior among this age group. Adverse outcomes related to Internet-based drug information are rarely identified. We report a case of an adolescent whose use of the Internet to obtain drug information led to severe poisoning from the combination of a monoamine oxidase inhibitor, harmaline, and a hallucinogenic tryptamine, 5-methoxydimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT).