Isolated Benzodiazepine Toxicity and the Use of Flumazenil: An Eye-Opening Antidote Case Report in a Tertiary Care Hospital

Abstract

Since its debut in the 1960s, the broad use and availability of benzodiazepines has mirrored the increased incidence of overdose cases. Due to its non-specic presentation, there is often a delay in diagnosis. We report a case of Benzodiazepine toxicity in a 70-year-old man who presented to us in a comatose state. He was evaluated at another hospital initially and was intubated in view of his low Glasgow Coma scale. A CT brain plain study was done suspecting a basilar artery thrombus and he was referred to us for Neuro-Interventional procedures. As radiological, laboratory and electrophysiological investigations were unremarkable a provisional diagnosis of drug intoxication was made after patient medication review and a trial of Flumazenil was given, after which the patient had improved dramatically. Flumazenil is not routinely used due to fears of withdrawal seizures and its high cost. It also has no effect on reversing sedation caused by barbiturates, ethanol, or opioids. The antidote has a favorable risk-benet ratio when dosed appropriately and can be a helpful diagnostic tool after ruling out the more common causes of acute sensorium loss as demonstrated by this case report.