Transient Environmental Dependency Syndrome due to Phendimetrazine Tartrate

Examination She was assessed neurologically 4 days postevent. Her medical history was unremarkable with no head injury, seizure disorder or family history thereof and she was not on any other medication, was without deleterious habits or substance abuse. Her neurological examination was normal, the Mini Mental State Score was 30/30 and the abbreviated Carroll Depression Scale normal. Cognitive assessment was notable for agitation, a tendency to skip from one subject to another rapidly without completing her sentences described by her mother and dyssomnia by history. Her speech was fluent with normal comprehension, Serial 7’s intact but slow, memory for 5 words at 5 min 4/5 and Luria’s motor sequence test impaired. Word list generation with S was suboptimal with only 8 words generated in 1 min. Visuospatial function for 3-dimensional copying was impaired characterized by a perseverative tendency, copying 12 cubes instead of one. Neuroradiology by magnetic resonance imaging (T2, FLAIR, DWI, cervical and intracranial magnetic resonance angiography) was normal. Routine blood biochemistry, thyroid function tests and electroencephalogDear Sir, A 23-year-old healthy college student was found in a stranger’s home which to the consternation of the owner she was inexplicably cleaning and tidying. She was witnessed to be making up the beds in the house, picked up cigarette butts, cleaning and wiping the furniture for about 1 h. The owner called the local sheriff department who in turn contacted the woman’s mother as the patient was able to recall her telephone number correctly. She had been jogging on a suburban trail that winds through both developed property and preserve. Her 3–4 weekly routine of jogging on that trail was no different that morning other than she had skipped breakfast. She had also been taking phendimetrazine tartrate [1] for 5 months and more recently for 2 months had added ephedrine in her quest for rapid weight reduction. The reason was a 30-pound weight gain 9 months earlier after her wedding. By that evening she appeared normal to her parents and husband, apart from agitation and hyperactivity. However, she had retrograde amnesia (approximately 8 h) for the entire event since the commencement of her jogging as she could recall the exact site where she had parked her car at the trail. Received: July 28, 2006 Accepted: November 30, 2006 Published online: May 4, 2007