Zoletil is a combination of tiletamine hydrochloride and zolazepam hydrochloride used as a veterinary anesthetic. Although zoletil abuse is widely known, zoletil poisoning for the purpose of suicide is very rare. We present a case of a 39-year-old man who attempted suicide by intravenously injecting a large amount of zoletil, resulting in decreased mental status and severe respiratory depression. Intubation and mechanical ventilation were applied. After 30 hours in the hospital, all symptoms of poisoning improved. Because zoletil can cause severe respiratory depression, close observation and aggressive securement of an airway is mandatory
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Phase I Metabolism of Tiletamine in Human Liver Microsomes and Its Detection in Human Specimens (Urine and Hair) Fang Wang, Song Bai, Shan Liu, Yuemeng Chen, Lijun Chen, Xiaokang Lv, Suran Wan ChemistrySelect.2026;[Epub] CrossRef
Suspected cumulative neuro-ophthalmic toxicity after chronic oral exposure to the veterinary anesthetic tiletamine: a case report Ligang Jiang, Xin Jiang, Ruixuan Xu, Weihua Yang, Yuhua Tong Frontiers in Veterinary Science.2026;[Epub] CrossRef
Severe tremors induced by tiletamine e-cigarette and alcohol use: a case report Bojie Zhou, Shanghao Yang, Xiafeng Zhou, Qian Chen, Ewen Tu, Bo Zhang, Li Shi, Xuhui Zhou Frontiers in Psychiatry.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
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