Hanoi: Old woman in critical condition after mistakenly taking drug addiction treatment drug, unable to breathe on her own

(Dan Tri) - All initial tests were inconclusive until a small detail was revealed: She had mistakenly taken methadone contained in a soft drink bottle.

The elderly female patient was admitted to Thanh Nhan Hospital in a deep coma, with pupils as small as needle tips and severe respiratory failure.

According to Dr. Pham Thi Tra Giang - Head of the Emergency Department, the emergency team immediately placed an endotracheal tube, connected the patient to a ventilator, and actively resuscitated the patient to regain each breath.

After urgent interventions, the patient gradually regained consciousness, but an unpredictable complication occurred: the patient's respiratory muscles were completely paralyzed, making the patient completely dependent on a ventilator.

The hospital has coordinated with various departments: Diagnostic Imaging Department, Neurology Department, Orthopedic Trauma Department to find the cause of this condition.

The patient was treated at Thanh Nhan Hospital (Photo: Provided by the hospital).

Toxicology testing was negative for heroin, morphine, and benzodiazepines. MRI of the brain, neck, and chest revealed no lesions, ruling out compression. Conditions such as respiratory myasthenia and rare neuromuscular diseases were ruled out.

Doctors continue to search for the cause in the direction of respiratory center inhibition poisoning.

All theories were deadlocked until a seemingly small detail was revealed. The patient had drunk a bottle of soft drink at home earlier. The hospital immediately sent a sample to the National Institute of Forensic Medicine.

The results showed that the water bottle contained methadone, a drug used by a family member's nephew to treat drug addiction.

According to doctors at Thanh Nhan Hospital, methadone is not on the list of routine toxicology screenings, so it was not detected in the initial tests.

A safe maintenance dose for a young person becomes a fatal dose for an elderly woman's weakened body, causing respiratory failure and severe respiratory muscle paralysis.

Through the treatment process, the patient has overcome the dangerous stage and his health is stable.

Thanh Nhan Hospital recommends:

- Do not use soft drink bottles, mineral water bottles or food containers to store toxic substances, whether medicines, cleaning chemicals or anything else.

- Medicines, especially prescription drugs or drugs with high addictive potential, should be stored carefully, in locked cabinets, out of reach of children and the elderly.

- Raise awareness of the risk of poisoning in the home, especially in families with people undergoing medical treatment or drug addiction.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/ha-noi-uong-nham-thuoc-cai-nghien-cu-ba-nguy-kich-khong-the-tu-tho-20250916112943804.htm