A Case Series of Life-Threatening MDMA Poisoning in An Electronic Dance Music Party in Hong Kong

Summary

Four people collapsed at an electronic dance music festival and were brought to an emergency department with life-threatening serotonin toxicity from MDMA. One died shortly after arrival; the other three received the drug cyproheptadine at different times after arrival (0.75, 3.5, and 10 hours). All three survived and were later discharged. Earlier administration of cyproheptadine was associated with shorter stays in the intensive care unit (3, 10, and 53 days) and shorter total hospital stays (11, 37, and 98 days). The authors suggest that early use of cyproheptadine, along with supportive treatments, may reduce severity and hospital stay in such cases.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Background: MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine), which is also known as Ecstasy or Molly, is a commonly found abusive agent in Hong Kong. MDMA abuse is widely reported in electronic dance music (EDM) festivals all over the world. It brings about uncommon mortality and serious morbidity with recreational use, which are believed to be related to serotonin toxicity. Cyproheptadine has anti-histamine and 5-HT antagonist property which are reported to be an effective agent in managing serotonin syndrome of moderate severity. However, there is not much information concerning whether it is useful in life-threatening situations. Case Presentation: Four victims who collapsed while attending an EDM festival were sent to our Emergency Department (ED). They showed clinical symptoms compatible with life-threatening serotonin toxicity. One patient died 30 minutes after arrival to the ED. Aggressive attempts were made to resuscitate the other three; cyproheptadine was administrated to them from 0.75 to 10 hours after arrival. They were all admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) for further management. Their urine showed a presence of MDMA. Discussion: Except for the one who died on arrival, the other three survived, who were later discharged. An early use of cyproheptadine (0.75 vs 3.5 vs 10 hours) results in better outcome as well as a shorter ICU stay (3 vs 10 vs 53 days) and total hospital stay (11 vs 37 vs 98 days). Results: Supportive treatments as well as early use of cyproheptadine might have some beneficial effects in reducing the severity and hospital stay in patients presented with life-threatening serotonin syndrome related to MDMA.