A RARE CASE: AYAHUASCA TEA INTOXICATION
Selman Yeniocak, Asım Kalkan, Tuğba Aguş, Ahmet Fatih Demirel, İbrahim Akkoç, Burak Katipoğlu
Journal of Emergency Medicine Case Reports July 1, 2019 DOI: 10.33706/jemcr.609100 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1 |
| Population | 59-year-old man |
| Intervention | Symptomatic treatment |
| Duration | 24-h clinical observation in the emergency department |
| Topics | Ayahuasca |
| Keywords | Mydriasis Emergency department Vomiting Nausea Hallucinogen Anesthesia Unconsciousness |
| Citations | 3 |
| Key findings | Ayahuasca tea ingestion can cause hallucinations, agitation, hypertension, mydriasis, nausea, and vomiting requiring emergency care. |
Abstract
Objective: Ayahuasca tea contains N, N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) found in the leaves of the Psychotria viridis vine and -carbolines found in Banisteriopsis caapi.Case Report: A 59-year-old man was brought to the emergency department due to hallucinations, agitated behavior, aggression , nausea and vomiting developing 1.5 h after drinking approximately one tea glassful of Ayahuasca tea. Hypertension and mydriasis were determined, while blood, EKG and chest x-ray were normal. Symptomatic treatment was administered , and the patient was discharged following 24-hclinical observation in the emergency department.Discussion: it has been sugg ested that DMT exhibits anxiolytic effects in low doses, but that hallucinogenic effects emerge when taken in large doses. in order to be effective when taken orally, DMT must be used with a monoamine oxidase inhibitor. Our case exhibited hallucinations and the majority of the autonomic symptoms associated with DMT use described in the literature. Ayahuasca tea is toxic. Uncontrolled use may even result in mortality.Conclusion: Emergency physicians should consider Ayahuasca tea ingestion in patients presenting to the emergency department with agitation, hypertension, mydriasis and, particularly, hallucination .
Comparable studies
Other case reports and case series on ayahuasca, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| A fatal intoxication following the ingestion of 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine in an ayahuasca preparation. 25-year-old white male | 2005 | Case study | n = 1 |
| The Diaspora of Brazilian Religions | 2013 | Ethnographic case studies | |
| EEG Gamma Coherence and Other Correlates of Subjective Reports During Ayahuasca Experiences Experienced ayahuasca users | 2005 | Exploratory case series | n = 2 |
| Reply to “Ayahuasca turned on my mind’s eye”: A case of acquired versus congenital aphantasia, as evidenced with DMT use? Individual with apparent congenital aphantasia | 2018 | Case study | n = 1 |
| “Ayahuasca turned on my mind’s eye”: Enhanced visual imagery after ayahuasca intake in a man with “blind imagination” (aphantasia) A man self-diagnosed with long-lasting aphantasia | 2018 | Case study | n = 1 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
Cites 5
- Clinical investigations of the therapeutic potential of ayahuasca: rationale and regulatory challenges. Pharmacology & Therapeutics May 1, 2004
- Risk assessment of ritual use of oral dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and harmala alkaloids Addiction December 20, 2006
- Ayahuasca Exposure: Descriptive Analysis of Calls to US Poison Control Centers from 2005 to 2015 Journal of Medical Toxicology November 28, 2016
- Altered consciousness states and endogenous psychoses: a common molecular pathway? Schizophrenia Research December 19, 1997
- Endogenous psychoactive tryptamines reconsidered: an anxiolytic role for dimethyltryptamine. Medical Hypotheses 2005