Swollen Lips After a Night of Partying-An Allergic Reaction to Ecstasy
Ecstasy (MDMA) is a mood-lifting drug with numerous somatic side effects, for example, dehydration or continuous chewing and biting. We describe the case of a young woman who underwent a forensic medical examination for suspected sexual assault. She claimed to have suffered from a memory lapse, and she had a painful swelling of her lips with a plaque-like coating on her lips and buccal mucosa. The attending physician suspected that these findings might have been caused by strong sucking pressure on her lips within the context of a sexual assault. A toxicological examination of a blood specimen verified that she had been under the influence of an extremely high dose of ecstasy (1.456 mgL MDMA and 0.0213 mgL MDA). Pursuant to the forensic medical assessment, the described findings on her lips, and buccal mucosa were interpreted as an allergic and mechanical reaction (through continuous chewing and biting) to ecstasy.