Thread: WTF? Muscle cream caused teen death?

Now I have to admit that I don't pay much attention to all of the chemicals used in applications for sore muscles - and I've used Icy Hot before, though I can't remember if there were specific use directions limiting the number of applications of a product. But this story is rather disturbing:

(from Associated Press

NEW YORK - A medical examiner blamed a 17-year-old track star's death on the use of too much anti-inflammatory muscle cream, the kind used to soothe aching legs after exercise.

Arielle Newman, a cross-country runner at Notre Dame Academy on Staten Island, died after her body absorbed high levels of methyl salicylate, an anti-inflammatory found in sports creams such as Bengay and Icy Hot, the New York City medical examiner said Friday.

The medical examiner's spokeswoman, Ellen Borakove, said the teen used "topical medication to excess." She said it was the first time that her office had reported a death from using a sports cream.

In addition to spreading the muscle cream on her legs between track meets, Newman was using adhesive pads containing the anti-inflammatory, plus an unspecified third product containing the chemical, Borakove said. The products were used and the chemical absorbed over time, rather than from a single instance of overuse, she said.

Newman, who garnered numerous track awards, died April 3. She had gone to a party the night before, then returned home and spent hours talking with her mother.

Methyl salicylate poisoning is unusual, and deaths from high levels of the chemical are rare.

"Chronic use is more dangerous than one-time use," Edward Arsura, chairman of medicine at Richmond University Medical Center, told the Staten Island Advance on Friday. "Exercise and heat can accentuate absorption."

Muscle Cream Caused NYC Teen's Death - MSNBC Wire Services - MSNBC.com


I wonder if that kid (or anyone providing those products) had any clue about the use of methyl salicylate in each of the applications?

Usually these topicals state no more than 3 to 4 times per day, if pain persist for more than 7 days, stop use and see doctor (or something similar).

Dang, that's a sad story and a good warning about the overuse of OTC medications.