3 Children Swallow Drug by Accident

Three children, ages 4 to 7, were hospitalized Saturday after they apparently swallowed a potent prescriptive drug used to treat schizophrenics, police said.

Four-year-old Jonathan Silas, his sister, Cherie, 5, and Ryan Hernandez, 7, were taken to La Palma Intercommunity Hospital after they apparently took an unknown number of Clozaril tablets and lost consciousness, said Buena Park Police Sgt. Mike Schwartz. The drug was delivered to a house on San Yuba Way by mail in a package containing 62 100-milligram tablets.

The children, who were playing on the street, apparently retrieved the package containing the pills from the mailbox and ingested the tablets, Schwartz said. It was not known how many pills each child took, he added.

The pills are delivered weekly through the mail to a family whose child takes them, police said.

Clozaril is a medication classified as an anti-psychotic drug used to treat schizophrenia. According to pharmacists, the maximum daily dosage is 300 milligrams and a fatal overdose for adults can result from taking 2.5 grams or more. Large doses can cause drowsiness, seizures, low blood pressure and comas.

Patients receiving Clozaril are closely monitored, pharmacists said.

Ryan Hernandez was treated and released from the hospital early Sunday. The Silas siblings were transferred to Children’s Hospital of Orange County in Orange, where they remained in good condition Sunday, hospital officials said.