Multiple Prescription Drug Abuse and Salt Craving in a Psychotic Patient: A Case Report From a Teaching Hospital in Jordan

Abstract

Introduction:Diuretics and laxative abuse as a means of purging is common in patients with bulimia nervosa and there may be an underestimation of the true prevalence of diuretic abuse, as some are also available without prescription.Case Presentation:A 28-year-old woman presented with tetany due to hypocalcemia, hypokalemia and hypomagnesemia. She had a history of laxative and diuretic abuse, and salt craving. Psychiatric evaluation revealed a disturbed social history with masked depression that necessitated treatment.Conclusions:Multiple prescription drug abuse and salt/salty food addiction usually reflects a personality of addiction, which leads to harmful use and dependence.

Abuse of sulfonylureas: Is factitious hypoglycemia a cause for concern?

“…We know that those interested in alternative ways of getting "high" are constantly in search for new alternatives that are available, cheap and legal and replace those drugs which are harder to obtain, more expensive illicit drugs. [8,9] For example, more unusual forms of pharmaceutical medicinal diversion include those with little or no mental altering effects such as bisoprolol, table salt or menthol vapor rubs [8][9][10]. Hence, we report here on the case of abuse of sulfonylureas, whereby the reported intoxication effect is caused by adrenaline release [11,12].…”