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The term drug overdose (or simply overdose) describes the ingestion or application of a drug or other substance in quantities greater than are recommended or generally practiced. An overdose is widely considered harmful and dangerous as it can result in death. Image File history File links Information. ... Wikibooks logo Wikibooks, previously called Wikimedia Free Textbook Project and Wikimedia-Textbooks, is a wiki for the creation of books. ... In general terms, eating (formally, ingestion) is the process of consuming something edible, i. ... For other meanings, see Drug (disambiguation). ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

Types

The word "overdose" implies that there is a safe dosage; therefore, the term is commonly only applied to drugs, not poison. Drug overdoses are sometimes caused intentionally to commit suicide or as self-harm, but many drug overdoses are accidental and are usually the result of either irresponsible behavior or the misreading of product labels. Other causes of overdose include use of multiple drugs with counter indications simultaneously (for instance, heroin/certain prescription pain medications and cocaine/amphetamines/alcohol) and use after a period of abstinence or unexpected purity of the drug consumed. For other meanings, see Drug (disambiguation). ... The skull and crossbones symbol (Jolly Roger) traditionally used to label a poisonous substance. ... For other uses, see Suicide (disambiguation). ... Self-harm (SH) is deliberate injury to ones own body. ... For other uses, see Heroin (disambiguation). ... Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. ... Amphetamine is a synthetic drug originally developed (and still used) as an appetite suppressant. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

A common unintentional overdose in young children involves multi-vitamins containing iron. Iron is a component of the hemoglobin molecule in blood, used to transport oxygen to living cells. When taken in small amounts, iron allows the body to replenish hemoglobin, but in large amounts it causes severe pH imbalances in the body. If this overdose is not treated with chelation therapy, it can lead to death or permanent coma. For other uses, see Iron (disambiguation). ... Structure of hemoglobin. ... Human blood smear: a - erythrocytes; b - neutrophil; c - eosinophil; d - lymphocyte. ... General Name, Symbol, Number oxygen, O, 8 Chemical series nonmetals, chalcogens Group, Period, Block 16, 2, p Appearance colorless (gas) very pale blue (liquid) Standard atomic weight 15. ... The correct title of this article is . ... Chelation therapy is a process involving the use of chelating agents to remove heavy metals from the body. ...

Misconceptions

Deaths caused by adulterated drugs, most commonly heroin, are often incorrectly attributed to overdose. Adulterants are chemical impurities or substances that by law do not belong in a food, pesticide, or other substance. ...

Symptoms

Symptoms of overdose occur in various forms:

• Exaggerated form of normal action (e.g., sleepiness on antiepileptics, hypoglycemia on insulin)
• Other effects due to chemical properties of the medication (e.g., metabolic acidosis in aspirin, liver failure due to paracetamol)
• Non-specific symptoms due to central nervous system irritation (e.g., confusion, vertigo, nausea, vomiting, delirium, seizures)

A girl quietly at sleep Sleep is the fundamental anabolic process common to all life forms, plant and animal. ... Hypoglycemia (hypoglycæmia in the UK) is a medical term referring to a pathologic state produced by a lower than normal level of glucose (sugar) in the blood. ... Insulin (from Latin insula, island, as it is produced in the Islets of Langerhans in the pancreas) is an anabolic polypeptide hormone that regulates carbohydrate metabolism. ... In medicine, metabolic acidosis is a state in which the blood pH is low (under 7. ... Aspirin, or acetylsalicylic acid (IPA: ), (acetosal) is a drug in the family of salicylates, often used as an analgesic (to relieve minor aches and pains), antipyretic (to reduce fever), and as an anti-inflammatory. ... Liver failure is the final stage of liver disease. ... Paracetamol (INN) (IPA: ) or acetaminophen (USAN), is the active metabolite of phenacetin, a so called coal tar analgesic. ... A diagram showing the CNS: 1. ... Look up Confusion in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Confusion can have the following meanings: Unclarity or puzzlement, e. ... For other uses, see Vertigo. ... For other uses, see Nausea (disambiguation). ... Vomiting (also throwing up or emesis) is the forceful expulsion of the contents of ones stomach through the mouth and sometimes the nose. ... This article is about the mental state and medical condition. ... This article is about epileptic seizures. ...

Diagnosis

Diagnosis of an overdosed patient is generally straightforward if the drug is known. However, it can be very difficult if the patient cannot (or refuses to) state what drug they have overdosed on. 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, antidotes may be administered if there is sufficient indication that the patient has overdosed on a particular type of medication. Naloxone in opioids and flumazenil in benzodiazepines, are specific receptor antagonists and they reverse completely the effect of the poisoning drug.^{[citation needed]} An antidote is a substance which can counteract a form of poisoning. ... Naloxone is a drug used to counter the effects of opioid overdose, for example heroin and morphine overdose. ... An opioid is a chemical substance that has a morphine-like action in the body. ... Flumazenil (flumazepil, Anexate®, Lanexat®, Mazicon®, Romazicon®) is a benzodiazepine antagonist, used as an antidote in the treatment of benzodiazepine overdose. ... Alprazolam 2mg tablets The benzodiazepines (pronounced , or benzos for short) are a class of psychoactive drugs considered as minor tranquilizers with varying hypnotic, sedative, anxiolytic, anticonvulsant, muscle relaxant and amnesic properties, which are brought on by slowing down the central nervous system. ... Antagonists In medicine and biology, a receptor antagonist is a ligand that inhibits the function of an agonist and inverse agonist for a specific receptor. ...

First aid

Depressants

First aid can prevent a death from overdose of depressants, as it may take several hours for someone to die in these cases. ^{[citation needed]} The common drugs in this category include opiates ( ie. heroin, morphine and methadone), alcohol, and certain prescription drugs (such as benzodiazepines). Signs of overdose are those of a depressed central nervous system — slow, infrequent or shallow breathing, blue lips or fingernails, cold or pale skin, slow or faint pulse, snoring or gurgling noises, and the inability to be woken from nodding off. Benzodiazepine tablets The benzodiazepines are a class of drugs with hypnotic, anxiolytic, anticonvulsant, amnestic and muscle relaxant properties. ...

• The first step is to stay calm and try to get a response from the person by pinching the back of their arm, calling their name, or rubbing your knuckles against their chest.^{[citation needed]}
• If there is no response, check to make sure their airway is not blocked and see if they are breathing.
• If breathing or pulse are not detectable, commence cardiopulmonary resuscitation.^[1] If these signs are present, roll the person in question on his/her side into the recovery position.
• Call an ambulance. Ideally, someone should call an ambulance immediately while another person evaluates the patient and performs CPR if necessary.

For other meanings of CPR, see CPR (disambiguation). ... A form of the recovery position. ...

Stimulants

People can overdose on stimulants, such as amphetamines, and cocaine, with symptoms such as rapid heartbeat, muscle cramps, seizures, paranoia, psychosis, confusion, loss of control of movement, vomiting, and lack of consciousness. It can result in an often fatal condition known as excited delirium. Amphetamine psychosis is a form of psychosis which can result from amphetamine or methamphetamine use. ... Excited Delirium was originally a descriptive phrase coined by medical researchers to describe the extreme end of a continuum of drug abuse effects. ... This article is about the mental state and medical condition. ...

First aid in these cases involves staying with the person and helping them to remain calm. Move them to a quiet area, and where possible, apply a wet cloth to their neck or forehead. If unconscious, place them in the recovery position and call an ambulance.^[1] A form of the recovery position. ...

Prevention

• Refrain from mixing depressant drugs like alcohol, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, and opiates together. ^[2]
• Start with small amounts, in order to estimate the potency of a drug.
• Be careful when taking a drug after a period of abstinence, as your tolerance may be drastically lowered.
• If you have a pharmaceutical chemical, make sure it isn't expired. Toxicity can increase drastically.

Causes

Common types of drugs that are overdosed on: Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...

• Barbiturates
  • Seconal
  • Nembutal
• Narcotics
  • Heroin
• Stimulants
  • Methamphetamine
• Ethyl Alcohol
  • Alcoholic beverages
• Prescription drugs
  • drug "cocktails", or a combination of numerous drugs

Barbiturates are drugs that act as central nervous system depressants, and by virtue of this they produce a wide spectrum of effects, from mild sedation to anesthesia. ... Seconal is a trademark name for the barbiturate sodium quinalbarbitone. ... Pentobarbital is a barbiturate that is available as both a free acid and a sodium salt, the former of which is only slightly soluble in water and ethanol. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For other uses, see Heroin (disambiguation). ... Stimulants are drugs that temporarily increase alertness and wakefulness. ... This article is about the psychostimulant, d-methamphetamine. ... Ethanol, also known as ethyl alcohol, drinking alcohol or grain alcohol, is a flammable, colorless, slightly toxic chemical compound, and is best known as the alcohol found in alcoholic beverages. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... A prescription drug is a licensed medicine that is regulated by legislation to require a prescription before it can be obtained. ...

Statistics

While they do not give separate figures for drug overdoses and other kinds of accidental poisoning, the National Center for Health Statistics report that 19,250 people died of accidental poisoning in the U.S. in the year 2004.^[3] National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) is one of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which is part of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. ...

See also

• List of deaths by accidental drug overdose
• Suicide

Warning: Wikipedia articles of these people may not contain information on specifically how they died — drug-related or otherwise; so it may be otherwise. This is a list of famous deaths by accidental drug overdose: GG Allin, cult psychopathic punk rock singer and country and western singer who fronted The... For other uses, see Suicide (disambiguation). ...

References

External links

Look up overdose in
Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Fact sheets on illicit drugs, overdose prevention, detox and harm reduction strategies.
• Drug-specific information about overdosing.