segment described, he allegedly used Visine eye drops to poison and eventually kill his wife, 32-year-old Stacy Robinson Hunsucker: during New Line Cinema Premiere of "Wedding Crashers" at Ziegfeld Theatre in New York, New York, United States. 17:24 GMT 22 Mar 2013 Nardo, Melissa. Next got in a car accident and died. Stars and Stripes. Pl drop the argument as it. Frequent numbness, tingling or a pins-and-needles sensation, usually in the hands. All local poison control centers in the United States use this national number. Please remove adblock to help us create the best medical content found on the Internet. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. This article is for information only. Products like Visine contain tetrahydrozoline HCI, according to http://Healthguidance.org, and this substance is known to cause diarrhea, nausea, severe breathing difficulty, respiratory failure, tremors, blurred vision, seizures, coma and even death. 16th ed. Lee BY. DO NOT use it to treat or manage an actual poison exposure. DO NOT use it to treat or manage an actual poison exposure. Snejana Farberov It may be mild in some and severe in others. Interestingly, despite its reputation as a gastrointestinal irritant, diarrhea is not a common side effect of tetrahydrozoline consumption. This article is for information only. You can call for any reason, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Take the container with you to the hospital, if possible. Get ophthalmologist-reviewed tips and information about eye health and preserving your vision. It is a member of the imidazole family that can serve as decongestants and vasoconstrictors. It does NOT need to be an emergency. Visine may cause serious side effects. 20:09 GMT 22 Mar 2013. Less than a mother later, the stepmother required medical help for similar symptoms. The Washington Post. Hannah Kirby. The person may receive: Survival past 24 hours is usually a good sign that the person will recover.Some individuals may have long-lasting complications if multiple organs are damaged by the drug. To do their thing, such eye drops should go into your, you guessed it, eyes. Acetaminophen. You should call if you have any questions about poisoning or poison prevention. "Adams County Woman Accused of Poisoning Her Two Children with Visine." Rani, M., & Murty, O. P. (2012). Lowering body temperature to dangerous levels, Making breathing difficult, or even halting it entirely, Elevating and then dropping blood pressure, In 1995 an adult customer at a Whole Foods market (a retail chain of natural and organic foods) had his wheat-grass smoothie spiked with a bottle of Visine by a clerk intent upon playing a practical joke. Symptoms of an overdose include drowsiness, slow breathing or absence of breathing, slow heartbeat, hypothermia and possibly even coma, it said. Pictured here are boxes of Visine, over-the-counter eye drops produced by Johnson & Johnson. Dog poisoning symptoms include: Vomiting Lethargy Abdominal pain Loss of appetite Excessive salivation Lack of coordination Bloody urine Causes Overdosing of veterinary pills Consumption of human drugs including but not limited to: Antihistamines Sleeping tablets Diet pills Heart pills Blood pressure pills Ibuprofen Acetaminophen Diagnosis The products contain the active ingredients tetrahydrozoline, naphazoline, or oxymetazoline. Your eyes may be bigger than your stomach, but these body parts are just not the same. In 1996, a two-year-old child who ingested at most 2 to 3 mL of Visine eye drops became dangerously lethargic and unresponsive to every stimulus except deep pain. But the agency has warned that if ingested, the chemical, and others like it that narrow blood vessels, may cause serious and life-threatening adverse events.. In young children, serious adverse events can occur from ingesting only a small amount (1 to 2 mL, or several drops) of tetrahydrozoline. All Rights Reserved. Immediately use thewebPOISONCONTROLonline tool or call 1-800-222-1222. Flynn, George. Aronson JK. These courses share the latest in medical knowledge, teach new patient-relationship skills and help providers deal with relevant current issues. As the North Carolina Department of Insurance (NCDOI) indicated, these circumstances led to an investigation by the NCDOI, the Gaston County (NC) Police Department, and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) that then resulted in allegations of fraudulent life insurance claims. Also offered on campus is an American Society of Health-System Pharmacists-accredited pharmacy residency program at Shands Jacksonville. Symptoms include: Vomiting Ataxia Panting Loud breathing sounds Shaking Hyperactivity Nervousness Weakness Depression Gastrointestinal upset Agitation Lethargy Change in blood pressure Journal of forensic sciences, 57(3), 835-838. This symptom is a precursor to difficulty speaking. state Department of Insurance said when announcing his arrest last month. Yet if Visine doesn't cause diarrhea, it has done things far more terrible. Size of the individual and the total dose are the most critical issues for causing harm, and so children are most at risk, said Wiley Chambers, MD, an ophthalmologist with the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research at the FDA. According to figures provided in an email by the American Association of Poison Control Centers, there were no reported deaths from tetrahydrozoline from 2016 through 2019. Everyone who has ever been wronged has at one time or another felt the urge to strike a counterblow. Because tetrahydrozoline ingestion can cause significant toxicity in young children, it is very important for parents and caregivers of young children to be aware of this potentially very dangerous poison. This national hotline will let you talk to experts in poisoning. URAC's accreditation program is an independent audit to verify that A.D.A.M. York County Sheriff's Office, via Associated Press. Lana Sue Clayton was sentenced to 25 years in prison after she added eye drops to her husbands drinks in such large amounts that the active chemical killed him, according to the authorities. Reports of significant toxicity from tetrahydrozoline ingestion are unusual but have occured primarily in small children after unintentional ingestion (3-63, 6). They include rapid heart beat, nausea,. Lasala, G. S., Vearrier, D., Boroughf, W. J., & Osterhoudt, K. C. (2014, August). follows rigorous standards of quality and accountability. Accessed June 8, 2021. In general, be careful about using such eye drops, even if they go where they are supposed to go. Most cases of poisoning are not criminal, but accidental by children or petswho find the small bottles of odorless, clear solution. On Thursday, the woman, Lana Sue Clayton, 53, a former Veterans Affairs nurse, was sentenced to 25 years in prison for killing her husband, Stephen D. Clayton, 64, at their home in Clover, S.C., the documents show. Clinical rotations in all the major disciplines are provided for UFCOM undergraduate medical students and elective rotations to students from other accredited schools. Clinical effects from ingestion of tetrahydrozoline have included drowsiness, coma, respiratory depression, bradycardia, hypotension, hypotonia, muscle flaccidity and hypothermia ( 3-6, 9-11 ). Aronson JK. We report a case of unintentional tetrahydrozoline ingestion with cardiovascular . Standard operative procedures and auditing for poisoning cases in India. Yet all is not well in revenge land. By now, most people know that Tylenol (acetaminophen) will KILL cats. The UF College of Nursing continually attracts and retains the highest caliber of nursing students and faculty with a passion for science and caring. DO NOT use it to treat or manage an actual poison exposure. "Student Accused of Poison Attempt." Ms. Clayton had originally been charged with murder after her arrest in August 2018, the arrest warrant said. National Capital Poison Center (USA)3201 New Mexico Ave, Suite 310 Washington, DC 20016Administrative Line: (202) 362-3867Emergency Line: 1 (800) 222-1222Fax: (202) 362-8377Email: pc@poison.orgWebsite: http://www.poison.org, American Association of Poison Control Centers (USA)515 King St., Suite 510, Alexandria, VA 22314Phone: (703) 894-1858Email: info@aapcc.orgWebsite: http://www.aapcc.org, National Poisons Centre (New Zealand)Dunedin School of Medicine, University of OtagoPO Box 913 Dunedin 9054, New ZealandPhone: 0800 POISON (0800 764 766)Website: http://www.poisons.co.nz, NSW Poisons Information Centre (Australia)Hawkesbury Rd & Hainsworth Street, Westmead NSW 2145, AustraliaPhone: +61 13 11 26Email: nswpoisons@chw.edu.auWebsite: https://www.poisonsinfo.nsw.gov.au, British Columbia Drug and Poison Information Centre (Canada)Room 0063, BC Centre for Disease Control655 West 12th AvenueVancouver, BC V5Z 4R4 CanadaPhone: (604) 682-5050Toll-Free: 1 (800) 567-8911Fax: (604) 707-2807Website: http://www.capcc.ca, Poisons Information Centre (South Africa)Room 411, Institute of Child HealthRed Cross Children's HospitalKlipfontein Road, Rondebosch, 7700, Cape Town South AfricaPhone: +27 21 658 5308Fax: +27 21 650 4492Email: poisonsinformation@uct.ac.zaWebsite: https://www.afritox.co.za, National Poisons Information Service (United Kingdom)City Hospital Dudley Rd, Birmingham United Kingdom B187QHPhone: +44 844 892 0111Fax: +44 121 507 55 88Email: mail@npis.orgWebsite: http://www.npis.org, https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002590.htm (accessed on 06/20/2017), https://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/search/a?dbs+hsdb:@term+@DOCNO+7471 (accessed on 06/20/2017), https://www.drugs.com/cdi/tetrahydrozoline-eye-drops.html (accessed on 06/20/2017), https://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm253338.htm (accessed on 06/20/2017). They said they are "shocked and mortified by the cause of Steven's death All our family and friends know how much he loved his wife and how devoted he was to her. You dont want them putting even a few milliliters of the stuff into their mouths. Of all the Visine poisoning cases studied by medical observers, we found none that mentioned diarrheal output brought about by the drug. I felt awful," she told Inside Edition. In: Burns MM, ed. Visine is clearly labeled for external use only and should never be swallowed., This is a BETA experience. The chemical in eye drops, tetrahydrozoline, works great on the eyes, but if swallowed in significant quantities, it can attack the nervous system and be deadly. Get help online or Call 1-800-222-1222. Together we discover. No, she didnt just have bad aim. Symptoms of an overdose of tetrahydrozoline include drowsiness, slow breathing or absence of breathing, slow heartbeat, hypothermia and possibly even coma. The active ingredient in Visine eye drops is Tetrahydrozoline HCI 0.05%. Also, dont believe the full-of-poop claims that such eyes drops can be a way of giving someone explosive diarrhea. I felt awful, she told Inside Edition. 2004 Oct;27(3):313-4. Established in 1923, the College of Pharmacy is the oldest college in the UF Academic Health Center. The teen could have faced 10 years in prison if she were to go to trial and found guilty. Springfield News-Leader. In the 2005 comedy "Wedding Crashers," Owen Wilson's character puts a few eye drops in the drink of love rival Sack Lodge, played byBradley Cooper. The University of Florida Academic Health Center - the most comprehensive academic health center in the Southeast - is dedicated to high-quality programs of education, research, patient care and public service. His wife claimed he had succumbed to a fatal fall. Woman Used Eye Drops to Kill Husband, Court Says, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/17/us/visine-eye-drop-poisoning.html. You could kill the person. General approach to drug poisoning in adults. When consumed orally, tetrahydrozoline passes quickly through the gastrointestinal tract, rapidly reaching the blood and the central nervous system, the article said. 539-540). Jennings later told investigators that the woman had ingested about five bottles worth of Visine that day. Tetryzoline was patented in 1954, and came into medical use in 1959. . Both options are free, expert, and confidential. Lana Sue Clayton in a 2018 booking photo. Editorial team. This would be considered. Drinking it can (and has) caused severe depression of the central nervous system. Products containing tetrahydrozoline can interact with many prescription drugs. Alexis Jennings, of Natrona County, entered the plea Thursday . At the center of the case is the use of the chemical tetrahydrozoline, which is an active ingredient in eye drops that can be purchased without a prescription. Eye drops designed to treat rednessare not intended to be consumed orally. 2018 Sep 5. 746-746). The smaller the body size, the less thats needed to cause major problems and even be life threatening. Why do my eyes burn after using eye drops? ; Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0; additional terms may . In: Aronson JK, ed. Then, they were forced to leave a bar by the person who posioned them. Not your mouth or other orifices. According to the material safety data sheet you should NOT induce vomiting and you should do the following: Examine the lips and mouth to ascertain whether the tissues are damaged, a possible indication that the toxic material was ingested; the absence of such signs, however, is not conclusive. Toxicology tests showed the woman had a fatal dose of tetrahydrozoline . The desire for revenge runs deep in all of us. It is commonly found in drops that are intended to relive irritation and get the red out. The products are safe when used as directed, by narrowing blood vessels, the Food and Drug Administration says. "Urban Legend Almost Kills Dad." Contact Poison Control right away if you suspect a poisoning. You can call for any reason, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Saturday's installment of "48 Hours" examines the strange case of Lana Clayton, a nurse who fatally poisoned her millionaire husband by lacing his drinks with Visine. She was hospitalized with a multitude of symptoms, but fortunately survived. (2016). (Photo: Getty Images). It does NOT need to be an emergency. Help is available online with web POISON CONTROL or by phone at 1-800-222-1222. As this ABC News segment described, he allegedly used Visine eye drops to poison and eventually kill his wife, 32-year-old Stacy Robinson Hunsucker: Per the news segment, Hunsucker and his wife had been high school sweethearts. You should call if you have any questions about poisoning or poison prevention. WPVI-TV [Philadelphia]. The Dangers of Letting Your Dog Play in the Ocean, Ex-'Top Chef' Contestant Accused of Poisoning Tree That Was Blocking Solar Panels, Woman Who Allegedly Poisoned Niece's Breast Milk Didn't 'Feel an Ounce of Guilt,' Cops Say, Bride Sues Caterer After Guests Suffer Food Poisoning During Wedding. Call 911 right away if the individual collapses, has a seizure, has trouble breathing, or can't be awakened. If it is established that a person is a regular drug user, then raise the number of milligrams for MLD by 33%. Clinical Pediatrics. Further, any substance ingested in a sufficient quantity can likewise be toxic. Consuming tetrahydrozoline has several unpleasant symptoms, none of which typically include diarrhea. How Visine eye drops in the mouth can kill, here are two cases. Co-located with the Shands Jacksonville Hospital, the Jacksonville Health Science Center excels in education, research and patient care that expresses our abiding values of compassion, excellence, professionalism and innovation. In June 2006, five Wisconsin high school students trying to pull the Visine prank poured about a quarter of a bottle of the eyedrops into a classmate's water. Program completed entirely in Jacksonville. Knowles H. Officials said he died in a fall. Apparently, her death had a sweetheart of an insurance pay-out: $250,000. Constricting blood vessels in your eyes is how they get the red out.. Over-the-counter eyedrops and decongestant sprays are frequently used to treat upper respiratory congestion and irritated, red eyes. Tetrahydrozoline is a form of a medicine called imidazoline, which is found in over-the-counter eye drops and nasal sprays. Dont crash weddings to hook up with strangers. Because of their small size, even a dose as low as 1 to 2 milliliters may be toxic to children, according to the FDA website.. Typically, correct use is no more than two drops in your eyes six times a day. DrugFacilitated Sexual Assault Using Tetrahydrozoline. Editorial team. DO NOT make a person throw up unless told to do so by poison control or a health care professional. Ingesting this substance can lead to a variety of harmful side effects such as dramatically lowering body temperature, causing severe breathing difficulty, respiratory failure, blurred vision, nausea, vomiting, blood pressure fluctuation, tremors, seizures and even coma. In 2001, a 22-year-old college student from Wisconsin was jailed for 90 days for repeatedly pouring eye drops into her roommates water after seeing the prank in the comedy Wedding Crashers. I am a writer, journalist, professor, systems modeler, computational and digital health expert, avocado-eater, and entrepreneur, not always in that order. If you or a loved one drank eyedrops or nasal decongestant sprays by accident or on purpose, do not wait for symptoms to occur. Seek medical help right away. Dont do what the Owen Wilson character did in the movie Wedding Crashers. The Lancet. Thats why you dont typically eat your contact lens. "Central Nervous System Depression Following Accidental Ingestion of Visine Eye Drops." Children are most at risk of Visine poisoning Most cases of poisoning are not criminal, but accidental by children or pets who find the small bottles of odorless, clear solution. That's when detectives told Kurczewski about the tetrahydrozoline the . The danger is real, and parents are well advised to keep eye drops away from children. Symptoms will be treated as appropriate. This article is for information only. Owen Wilsons hair wouldnt fly on most people. New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, The Blavatnik Family Chelsea Medical Center, Heart - Cardiology and Cardiovascular Surgery, Mount Sinai Center for Asian Equity and Professional Development, Preparing for Surgery and Major Procedures, Changes in blood pressure (high at first, low later), The name of the product (ingredients and strengths if known), ECG (electrocardiogram, or heart tracing), Fluids through the vein (intravenous or IV). It was said in court that she admitted to putting eye drops in his water, Leslie Robinson, assistant solicitor for York County, said in an interview on Friday. If tetrahydrozline is in someones drink while drinking alcohol . More than 1,600 cases of oral exposures are reported to United States poison centers annually (1,2).