Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-lnqnp Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-01-03T11:08:08.411Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Trihexyphenidyl (Artane) Abuse: Euphoriant and Anxiolytic

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

Yifrah Kaminer ,
Hanan Munitz  and
Henricus Wijsenbeek
Yifrah Kaminer
Affiliation:
Geha Psychiatric Hospital, Beilinson Medical Center, Petah Tiqva and the Tel Aviv University Sackler School of Medicine, Israel
Hanan Munitz
Affiliation:
Geha Psychiatric Hospital, Beilinson Medical Center, Petah Tiqva and the Tel Aviv University Sackler School of Medicine, Israel
Henricus Wijsenbeek
Affiliation:
Geha Psychiatric Hospital, Beilinson Medical Center, Petah Tiqva and the Tel Aviv University Sackler School of Medicine, Israel
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

Trihexyphenidyl (benzhexol, Artane) is an anticholinergic drug widely used among the psychiatric population in order to control extrapyramidal symptoms from the use of anti-psychotic drugs. In addition to the many well-known somatic and psychiatric side effects caused by the drug (Shader and Greenblatt, 1971), including toxic psychosis, trihexyphenidyl has been reported as causing a euphoriant effect (Bolin, 1960; Jellinek, 1977; Parker, 1978; Rubinstein, 1978; Shader and Greenblatt, 1971; Goggin and Solomon, 1979). Benztropine and biperiden are known to have caused similar phenomena (Jellinek, 1977; Stephens, 1967). Trihexyphenidyl is known as an hallucinogenic agent amongst thrill-seeking adolescents (Rouchell and Dixon, 1977) and among prisoners in the US who abuse the drug either orally or by smoking it as a powder mixed with tobacco (Woody and O'Brien, 1974).

Type
Research Article
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 140 , Issue 5 , May 1982 , pp. 473 - 474
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1982 

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

Bolin, R. R. (1960) Psychiatric manifestations of Artane toxicity. Journal of Nervous and Mental Diseases, 131, 256–9.Google Scholar
Goggin, D. A. & Solomon, G. F. (1979) Trihexyphenidyl abuse for euphorigenic effect. American Journal of Psychiatry, 136, 459–60.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jellinek, T. (1977) Mood elevating effect of trihexyphenidyl and biperiden in individuals taking antipsychotic medication. Diseases of the Nervous System, 38, 353–5.Google Scholar
McVicar, K. (1977) Abuse of antiparkinson drug by psychiatric patients. American Journal of Psychiatry, 134, 809–11.Google Scholar
Parker, G. E. (1978) Schizophrenia and Artane abuse. American Pharmacy, 18, 225.Google Scholar
Parker, G. E. (1978) Abuse of trihexyphenidyl. Journal of American Medical Association, 240, 2434.Google Scholar
Rouchell, A. M. & Dixon, S. P. (1977) Trihexyphenidyl abuse. American Journal of Psychiatry, 134, 1315.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rubinstein, J. S. (1978) Abuse of antiparkinson drugs, feigning of extrapyramidal symptoms to obtain trihexyphenidyl. Journal of American Medical Association, 239, 2365–6.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Shader, R. I. & Greenblatt, D. J. (1971) Uses and toxicity of Belladonna alkaloids and synthetic anticholinergics. Seminars on Psychiatry, 3, 449–76.Google Scholar
Stephens, D. A. (1967) Psychotoxic effects of benzhexol hydrochloride (Artane). British Journal of Psychiatry, 113, 213–18.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Woody, G. E. & O'Brien, C. P. (1974) Anti-cholinergic toxic psychose in drug abusers treated with benzotropine. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 15, 439–42.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.