Doctors from Burgas University Hospital Saved a Child After Overdose of Epilepsy Medication

Doctors from the University Multiprofile Hospital for Active Treatment (UMBAL) Burgas saved a child who had overdosed on an epilepsy medication. By law, it is only sold with a prescription, but it was bought freely in the pharmacy by a group of teenagers who decided to take it to "have fun", the hospital announced.

After taking five pills of 75 mg, one of the boys lost consciousness and collapsed on the street. He was admitted with a life-threatening condition, had several convulsions, and required intensive treatment and observation. After a few days in the hospital, he has already been discharged home, said Yulia Andreeva from the press center of UMBAL.

This is another case of overdose with exactly this medication, which should not be sold without a prescription, said Dr. Nuray Velieva, a pediatrician in the Second Children's Department of UMBAL Burgas and on duty the night the child was admitted. 

The police have been informed of the case, UMBAL pointed out.

An investigation has begun into how the dangerous medication was purchased freely, despite the fact that by law it is only dispensed with a doctor's prescription.

According to information from the children, the medicine was bought from a small pharmacy in Burgas. It is used in patients with epilepsy to suppress seizures. However, when taken by healthy people, it has the opposite effect – it excites the brain and leads to severe seizures. 

In recent months, cases of children admitted to the hospital after overdosing on dangerous drugs and suicide attempts, in which medications were also used, have become alarmingly frequent. One of them is a 13-year-old girl who injected her aunt's insulin after heartbreak, after her parents forbade her from having a relationship with an older man.

The doctors from UMBAL Burgas appeal to parents to be especially careful during the fragile teenage years. They advise monitoring for changes in behavior – sudden withdrawal, mood swings, increased interest in dangerous "challenges" on social networks, as well as conversations between peers related to medications, experiments, and seeking strong sensations. It is extremely important to maintain a constant, calm and trusting dialogue, to show interest in their environment, the online content they follow, and their emotional experiences, especially in the case of romantic disappointments, feelings of rejection or pressure from peers.