You've heard of one kill pills such as calcium channel blockers, beta blockers, sulfonylureas, anti-malarials, but less commonly known is benzonatate, or tessalon perles.
Tessalon perles are not recommended for children under the age of 10. 1-2 capsules of benzonatate in children <2 years old have been reported to cause serious side effects including restlessness, tremors, convulsions, coma and even cardiac arrest rapidly after ingestion (within 15-20 minutes and death within a couple of hours). It is attractive to young children as it somewhat resembles a jelly bean.
Pearls on Tessalon Perles:
Always ask your patients about children in their household and strongly consider alternative to tessalon perles if children <10 years in home
If you do decide to prescribe, prescribe only the amount of tessalon perles that a patient needs for cough relief
Inform your patients about this high risk of accidental ingestion by children
Keep tessalon perles in child-resistant container and keep it out of reach of children AT ALL TIMES
Call the poison center (800-222-1222) immediately if accidental ingestion by child
