Why does a seventeen year old die from using an over the counter muscle pain reliever cream?
It was recently revealed that a seventeen year old high school track star from New York died in April from an overdose of methyl salicylate as a result of using an OTC pain relieving cream. It is still unknown whether she lathered herself with too much of the cream or an unusual amount of methyl salicylates were absorbed. Death from methyl salicylates is very rare.
Precautions Should Be Noted
There are two major dangers in using these creams prior to a cross country or track race or exercising in general. One is that a sore muscle that has been exposed to the cream could become too relaxed and consequently damaged or injured from overuse. While a certain degree of pain is normal during exercise, an extensive pain signals injury. If medications or creams are used to dull pain it is easy to injure a muscle and not know it.
The second issue is that as the body heats up from exercise the pores open wider to allow for perspiration and cooling which would account for the fact that more of the methyl salicylates could be absorbed at this time. Sweat from her body could also cause the cream to "melt" and run and be exposed to more surface area of her skin allowing for more absorption of the medication.
Athletes are usually instructed by coaches not to use such creams prior to meets and games to prevent injury. However, without an explanation as to the dangers, these instructions could be ignored. Safety labels on these medications may not give these explicit instructions either, but may state that exercise accentuates absorption.
Better Known As...
Methyl salicylate is an anti-inflammatory drug found in pain relieving creams known by trade names such as Bengay, Icy Hot or products containing oil of wintergreen. Other members of the salicylate family include aspirin (acetyl salicylic acid), Doan's pills (magnesium salicylate) and Pepto-Bismol (bismuth salicylate).
Poisonings Continue in Chldren
Aspirin can cause Reyes syndrome in children and is routinely avoided. However, it is not commonly known that these other items have similar drugs in them which results in accidental poisoning of children. Reading labels and asking professionals for advice before administering OTC medications is essential. Just because it's sold over the counter doesn't mean it's safe.
Symptoms of Salicylate Poisoning
Salicylates are detoxified by the liver and excreted through the kidneys under normal circumstances. Symptoms of salicylate poisoning include nausea, vomiting, sweating, rapid breathing, ringing in the ears, and fever. These symptoms usually occur within three to six hours. In severe cases symptoms include confusion or disorientation, lethargy, seizures and coma.
If salicylate poisoning is not treated early and aggressively enough it is almost always fatal. However, if caught and treated, the prognosis is excellent.
Read more about using OTC medications.
