Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-t5pn6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-17T11:49:13.085Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A Study of Benzhexol Abuse

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

John A. Crawshaw  and
Paul E. Mullen
John A. Crawshaw
Affiliation:
Department of Psychological Medicine, Otago Hospital Board, Dunedin, New Zealand
Paul E. Mullen
Affiliation:
Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Otago Medical School, Dunedin, New Zealand
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

The occasional abuse of anticholinergic drugs for their psychotropic and specifically hallucinogenic properties has been known for over a century, but benzhexol (trihexyphenidyl) abuse has only recently attracted attention in the literature, mainly in case reports. This paper reports on a study of 21 benzhexol abusers. They were a young, single, and disadvantaged group of poyldrug abusers with poor employment, educational, and social skills, who abused benzhexol mainly for its euphorogenic properties. The two major diagnostic categories were antisocial personality disorder and schizophrenia. An unexpected finding was cognitive impairment persisting after acute intoxication.

Type
Research Article
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 145 , Issue 3 , September 1984 , pp. 300 - 303
Copyright
Copyright © 1984 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Bachrich, P. R. (1964) New drugs of addiction? British Medical Journal, 1, 834–5.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bolin, R. R. (1960) Psychiatric manifestations of Artane toxicity. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 131, 256–9.Google Scholar
Craig, D. H. & Rosen, P. (1981) Abuse of anti-parkinsonian drugs. Annals of Emergency Medicine, 10, 98–100.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Christison, R. (1929) A Treatise on Poisons, in Relation to Medical Jurisprudence, Physiology, and the Practice of Physic, North Bridge: Adam Black, London & Edinburgh: Longham, Rees, Orme, Brown & Green.Google Scholar
Goggin, D. A. & Solomon, G. F. (1979) Trihexyphenidyl abuse for euphorigenic effect. American Journal of Psychiatry, 136, 459–60.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Harrison, G. (1980) The abuse of anti-cholinergic drugs in adolescents. British Journal of Psychiatry, 137, 495.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jakubczyk, A., Skowronska, J., Spasowicz, E. & Szolenberger, W. (1972) Delirious syndromes following ingestion of trihexyphenidyl as psychodysleptic agent. Psychiatrie Poland, 6, 249–52.Google ScholarPubMed
Jellinek, T. (1977) Mood elevating effect of trihexyphenidyl and biperidin in individuals taking antipsychotic medication. Diseases of the Nervous System, 38, 353–55.Google Scholar
Kaminer, Y., Munitz, H. & Wusenbeek, H. (1982) Trihexyphenidyl (Artane) abuse: euphoriant and anxiolytic. British Journal of Psychiatry, 140, 473–4.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ebing, Kraft, Von, R. (1905) Textbook of Insanity, p. 194. (translated Chaddock, C. G.) Pub. F. A. Davis, Philadelphia.Google Scholar
Lowry, T. P. (1977) Trihexyphenidyl abuse. American Journal of Psychiatry, 134, 1315.Google Scholar
MacVicar, K. (1977) Abuse of anti-parkinsonian drugs by psychiatric patients. American Journal of Psychiatry, 134, 809–11.Google Scholar
MacVicar, K. (1978) Reply to: Interactive effects of trihexyphenidyl and coffee — Robert Weinstock. American Journal of Psychiatry, 135, 625.Google Scholar
Mohan, D., Mohandas, E. & Dube, S. (1981) Trihexyphenidyl abuse. British Journal of Addiction, 76, 195–7.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pakes, G. E. (1978) Abuse of trihexyphenidyl (letter) Journal of American Medical Association, 240, 2434.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rouchell, A. M. & Dixon, S. P. (1977) Trihexyphenidyl abuse. American Journal of Psychiatry, 134, 1315.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rubinstein, J. S. (1978a) Abuse of anti-parkinsonism drugs: Feigning of extrapyramidal symptoms to obtain trihexyphenidyl. Journal of American Medical Association, 239, 2365–2366.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rubinstein, J. S. (1978b) Abuse of anticholinergic drugs. New England Journal of Medicine, Oct, 12, 834.Google Scholar
Shader, R. I. & Greenblatt, D. J. (1971) Uses and toxicity of Belladonna alkaloids and synthetic anticholinergics. Seminars in Psychiatry, 3, 449–75.Google ScholarPubMed
Stephens, D. A. (1967) Psychotoxic effects of benzhexol hydrochloride (Artane). British Journal of Psychiatry, 113, 213–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tuke, D. Hack (1982) A Dictionary of Psychological Medicine, London: J. & A. Churchill.Google Scholar
Weinstock, R. (1978) Interactive effects of trihexyphenidyl and coffee. American Journal of Psychiatry, 135, 624–5.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.