FDA Warns Some E-Cigarette Users Having Seizures, Particularly Youth

Psychiatrists may wish to ask patients about vaping, particularly adolescents and young adults, in response to aspecial announcement released yesterday by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding the incidence of seizures following use of e-cigarettes.An FDA review of voluntary adverse event reports for e-cigarettes identified 35 cases of seizures following use of these products between 2010 and early 2019. Seizures or convulsions are known potential side effects of nicotine toxicity and have been reported following intentional or accidental swallowing of e-liquid. Some e-cigarettes deliver high concentrations of nicotine, with some containing as much nicotine as an entire pack of regular cigarettes.“While 35 cases may not seem like much compared to the total number of people using e-cigarettes, we are nonetheless concerned by these reported cases,” wrote outgoing FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., and Principal Deputy Commissioner Amy Abernethy, M.D., Ph.D., in ajoint statement.Gottlieb and Abernethy asserted that e-cigarettes could “serve as an off-ramp for currently addicted adult smokers to completely switch to a potentially less harmful form of nicotine delivery.” At the same time, however, the pair acknowledged “tremendous concern for epidemic-level rises of youth e-cigarette use.” The results of the 2018 National Youth Tobacco Survey showed that e-cigarette use rose by nearly 80 percent among high schoolers and 50 percent among middle schoolers ...
Source: Psychiatr News - Category: Psychiatry Tags: Amy Abernethy E-cigarettes FDA Scott Gottlieb seizures vaping youth Source Type: research