A RARE CASE: AYAHUASCA TEA INTOXICATION
Journal of Emergency Medicine Case Reports July 1, 2019 Selman Yeniocak, Asım Kalkan, Tuğba Aguş et al. 3 citations
A 59-year-old man developed hallucinations, agitation, aggression, nausea, and vomiting 1.5 hours after drinking about one glass of Ayahuasca tea. In the emergency department, he had hypertension and dilated pupils, but blood tests, EKG, and chest x-ray were normal. He received symptomatic treatment and was discharged after 24 hours of observation. Ayahuasca contains DMT, which can cause hallucinogenic and autonomic effects when taken orally with a monoamine oxidase inhibitor. The authors suggest that uncontrolled use of Ayahuasca tea is toxic and may lead to mortality, and that emergency physicians should consider Ayahuasca ingestion in patients with agitation, hypertension, dilated pupils, and hallucinations.