Poison-centre calls rose most in 10 to 14 year olds and over-55s
US poison centres logged 158,774 intentional exposures in people aged 10 and over between 2005 and 2016. Suicide-attempt calls rose 263% among 10 to 14 year olds.
What the study found
Deliberate diphenhydramine calls rose 63% in twelve years
The rise sits at both ends of the age range rather than in the middle. Between 2005 and 2016, US poison centres logged 158,774 intentional exposures in people aged 10 and over. Suicide-attempt calls rose 263% among 10 to 14 year olds, and misuse calls roughly 230% among adults over 55.
The caveat · Percentages given without counts
A call rate is not an event rate, and reporting habits shifted across those twelve years. The percentages come without the counts behind them, so a 263% rise from a small base may be a small absolute change. Nothing here measures how much diphenhydramine was being taken, so none of it can be read per user.
What we don't know
A call rate is not an event rate, and reporting habits shifted across those twelve years. The percentages come without the counts behind them, so a 263% rise from a small base may be a small absolute change. Nothing here measures how much diphenhydramine was being taken, so none of it can be read per user.