A doctor on Monday warned travelers against accepting food, medicine or other ingestibles from unknown sources, after a teenager accidentally ingested drugs from a suspicious e-cigarette.
While on vacation in Pingtung County’s Kenting (墾丁) with his family, the 17-year-old set off on his own to explore a night market.
He accepted a stranger’s offer to take a drag from a vape pen that might have contained amphetamines, as he afterward began feeling overstimulated.
After returning to their hotel, his parents found him to be limp and unintelligible, and rushed him to Heng Chun Christian Hospital, where emergency room doctors were unable to return him to a normal state.
After ruling out a stroke, bleeding or trauma from accidental ingestion, they gave him sedatives and kept him overnight for observation.
The next day, he regained consciousness and was discharged after doctors determined his condition to be stable.
As the nation enters peak travel season, Lin Tzu-chun (林子峻), the hospital’s emergency room lead doctor, advised travelers to stay on high alert.
Special care should be given to personal safety, he said, suggesting for example keeping food and beverages within eyesight at all times.
Food, beverages and other ingestibles of unknown origin should never be consumed, Lin said.
If vomiting, heart palpitations, perception changes, mood swings or other symptoms occur after ingesting something suspicious, Lin recommended seeking emergency hospital treatment immediately.
Do not delay seeking help and be honest about the situation to help doctors provide the most effective treatment, he added.
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