Amitraz: an unusual poisoning

ABSTRACT

Suicidal poisoning is rarely associated with intake of rare poisons, as the victim would grab any harmful chemical substance available in the vicinity for ingestion in rage. We report a case of suicidal intake of amitraz, a non-systemic acaricide, an ectoparasite repellant and insecticide used in veterinary medicine. Amitraz intake is rarely lethal and management is symptomatic. Lack of a specific antidote and management protocols for amitraz intoxication, leave only the previous case reports valuable for physicians dealing with it. We report a case of a patient presenting after ten hours of poison ingestion with unconsciousness, miosis and persistent bradycardia, the most frequently reported symptoms associated with this type of poisoning. The patient was managed with symptomatic treatment, her condition started improving after 12 hours and she was discharged in good health over next 36 hours