Cyclonite-Induced Seizures After Voluntary C-4 Ingestion

Ton Fang; Paramesh V Karandikar; Taylor R Young; Raffaella P Umeton

doi:10.7759/cureus.47746

Cyclonite-Induced Seizures After Voluntary C-4 Ingestion

Cureus. 2023 Oct 26;15(10):e47746. doi: 10.7759/cureus.47746. eCollection 2023 Oct.

Authors

Ton Fang¹, Paramesh V Karandikar², Taylor R Young³, Raffaella P Umeton¹

Affiliations

¹ Neurology, University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Center, Worcester, USA.
² Neurology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, USA.
³ Neuropsychiatry, University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Center, Worcester, USA.

Abstract

Cyclonite (cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine, RDX, hexogen) is the active agent in the plastic explosive, composition 4 (C-4). It has been used globally since the Vietnam War for both military and civilian applications due to its metastable nature. Ingestion or inhalation of C-4 can cause euphoric effects such as those commonly seen with alcohol toxicity, in addition to seizures and rarely fulminant liver and kidney failure. We report the case of a patient who ingested 75 g of C-4 and presented with a generalized tonic-clonic seizure four hours after ingestion. Our patient made a full recovery after being stabilized with temporizing anticonvulsants in the intensive care unit.

Keywords: c4; cyclonite; ingestion; military; poisoning; seizure.

Publication types

Case Reports