ABSTRACT
Bencyclane relaxes smooth muscles of vasculature and has been used in the treatment of peripheral and cerebral circulation disorders. Bencyclane penetrates the blood brain barrier and may evoke various adverse central effects, such as psychotic episodes, coma, and convulsions. It also decreases arterial pressure by vasodilatation and has negative inotropic action. The cardiodepressive action of bencyclane is caused probably by a direct calcium-channel antagonistic mechanism. The case of a 23-year old man, addict on amphetamine, who ingested 5 g of bencyclane (Halidor) is presented. The patient developed coma, convulsions, shock and cardiogenic pulmonary edema. He required mechanical ventilation, treatment with pressure amines (dopamine and dobutamine) and calcium. The circulatory and respiratory insufficiency persisted to the seventh day of hospitalization, then the patient was completely recovered and confirmed suicidal ingestion of 50 tablets a 100 mg of Halidor. In cases of severe bencyclane intoxications most important is an intensive symptomatic treatment. In these cases extracorporeal methods of toxin elimination from the blood are probably completely inutile, because of large bencyclane volume of distribution.
