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Introduction . Human contact with potentially toxic plants, which may occur through abuse or by accident or attempted suicide, is frequent and sometimes results in clinically significant toxicity. Objective. The aim of the present study was to identify which plants may lead to severe poisoning, and to define the clinical relevance of plant toxicity for humans in Switzerland. Methods . We analyzed 42 193 cases of human plant exposure and 255 acute moderate, severe, and lethal poisonings, which were reported to the Swiss Toxicological Information Centre between January 1995 and December 2009. Results . Plant contact was rarely responsible for serious poisonings. Lethal intoxications were extremely rare and were caused by plants with cardiotoxic ( Taxus baccata ) or mitosis-inhibiting ( Colchicum autumnale ) properties. Conclusions . Most often, plant contact was accidental and patients remained asymptomatic or developed mild symptoms, which fully resolved within a short time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. Seizures are a recognized complication of acute overdose with the racemic (1:1 ratio of R- and S-enantiomers) selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressant citalopram. Objective. We tested the hypothesis that escitalopram (the therapeutically active S enantiomer of citalopram) causes fewer seizures in overdose than citalopram at comparable doses of the S-enantiomer. Methods. Multicenter retrospective review of cases with citalopram and escitalopram overdose reported to German, Austrian, and Swiss Poisons Centers between 1997 and 2006. Results. 316 citalopram and 63 escitalopram cases were analyzed. Somnolence, nausea, vomiting, tachycardia, QT prolongation, and tremor occurred with similar frequency in both groups. There was a striking difference in the frequency of single and multiple seizures: 43 cases (13.5%) in the citalopram group and 1 case (1.6%) with a single seizure in the escitalopram group (p = 0.0065). Discussion and conclusions. At comparable ingested doses of the S-enantiomer, the symptom profile for citalopram and escitalopram intoxications is similar except for seizures that occur more frequently in citalopram than in escitalopram poisoning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]