Pemoline Induced Acute Choreoathetosis: Case Report and Review of the Literature

AbstractBackground: Pemoline is an oxazolidine derivative that is structurally different from amphetamines and used in the treatment of attention deficit disorder. Pemoline has not been commonly associated in the literature as a cause of acute movement disorders. The following case describes two children acutely poisoned with pemoline who experienced profound choreoathetdi. Case Report: Two, 3-year-old male, identical twin siblings presented to the emergency department after found playing with a an empty bottle of pemoline originally containing 59 tablets. The children had a medical history significant for attention deficit disorder previously treated with methylphenidate without success. This was their first day of pemoline therapy. The choreoathetoid movements began 45 min to 1 h after ingestion. The children gave no history of prior movement disorders and there was no family history of movement disorders. The children received gastrointestinal decontamination and high doses of intravenous benzodiazepin...