Drug overdose

A drug overdose occurs when a chemicalsubstance (i.e. drug) is ingested in quantities and/or concentrationslarge enough to overwhelm the homeostasisof a livingorganism, causing severe illnessor death. Essentially it is a type of poisoning.

Types

The word "overdose" implies that there is a safe dosage and therefore the term overdose is commonly only applied to drugs, not poisons.

Drug overdoses are sometimes caused intentionally to commit suicide, but many drug overdoses are accidental and are usually the result of either irresponsible behavior (such as overindulging at a party), or the misreading of product labels. Other causes of overdose (esp. heroin) include multiple drug use with counterindications (cocaine/amphetamines/alcohol) or use after a period of abstinence.

A common unintentional overdose in young children involves multi-vitamins containing iron. Ironis component of the hemoglobinmoleculein blood, used to transport oxygento living cells. When taken in small amounts, iron allows the body to replenish hemoglobin, but in large amounts it causes severe pHimbalances in the body. If this overdose is not treated with chelation therapy, it can lead to death.

Symptoms

Symptoms of overdose occur in various forms:

• Exaggerated form of normal action (sleepinesson antiepileptics, hypoglycemiaon insulin)
• Other effects due to chemical properties of the medication (metabolic acidosisin aspirin, liver failuredue to paracetamol)
• Non-specific symptoms due to central nervous systemirritation (confusion, vertigo, nausea, vomiting)

Diagnosis and management

Diagnosis and management are generally straightforward if the drug is known. The diagnosis can be very difficult if the patient cannot (or refuses to) state which medication has been overdosed. At times, certain symptoms and signs exhibited by the patient, or blood tests, can reveal the drug in question. Even without knowing the drug, most patients can be treated with general supportive measures.

In some instances, empirical antidotesmay be administered if there is sufficient indication that the patient has overdosed on a particular type of medication: naloxonein opioidsand flumazenilin benzodiazepines. Rapid reversal of symptoms may serve as proof in these cases.

Common causes

Common types of drugsthat are overdosed on:

• Barbiturates
  • Seconal
  • Nembutal
• Narcotics
  • Heroin
• Stimulants
  • Cocaine
• Ethyl Alcohol
  • Alcoholic beverages

See also

• List of deaths by accidental drug overdosede:Überdosis

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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drug+overdose Wikipedia article Drug overdose.