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Overdose of some pills can cause the death of a person

What pills can poison? Any drugs improper use can cause serious poisoning and intoxication. In severe cases, there can be instant death. This article discusses overdose fatal, the symptoms of poisoning by various drugs, methods of rendering first aid, components of treatment in hospital.

The causes of poisoning by drugs

An overdose of drugs can develop for many reasons. It often develops in people who take drugs without consulting a doctor or arbitrarily change the dose. Below are the main reasons why you may develop poison pills.

  • The practice of self-medication, drugs not coordinated with your doctor. Sometimes people drink drugs on the advice of friends, neighbors, relatives.
  • Taking high doses of the drug in critical or emergency situations. For example, when the temperature of the body people, seeking to quickly knock down, drink large doses of medications, combine them with each other. Such uncontrolled intake of drugs often leads to fatal poisoning.
  • The reception person drugs that are contraindicated due to age or health reasons. For example, the drug aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) is deadly for children, it gives them a Reye's syndrome and leads to rapid death from internal bleeding.
  • Fatal overdose can occur in children who ate left older tablets. The kids all love the taste, they are interesting. All drugs that have a home should be kept in a safe place for children.
  • An overdose of drugs to suicide (suicide). Most often people use this purpose hypnotics and tranquilizers. From them comes a relatively easy death by overdose.
  • Poisoning with drugs as a result of taking them together with alcohol.
  • A dangerous combination of drugs together. In the instructions to the drugs should carefully read the list of drugs with which they cannot combine.
  • A premeditated murder. Medications can be specially poison the person. Some drugs in high doses are potent poisons to humans.

Please note that for each person a lethal dose of any drug is individual. It depends on the weight and age of the person, if he has any diseases.

Characteristics of the clinical picture in overdose drugs

Poison pills to death everyone. A fatal outcome is possible at a certain dose of any drug. Below we will discuss symptoms of poisoning the most common drugs.

Sleeping pills, sedatives

Hypnotics and sedatives are dangerous for human life. Get an overdose of them can be unintentionally, during any stressful situation. A person wanting to calm down or sleep after emotional stress can take a big dose of medication, tending to the rapid action of the drug.

A potent sedative and hypnotic drugs include:

  • barboval;
  • phenobarbital;
  • prometal;
  • medinal;
  • teraligen;
  • Barbital.

These substances, once in the digestive system, are rapidly absorbed and act. They can cause the death of a person for 15-30 minutes. The following are the symptoms, which develop due to overdose of hypnotics.

  • Increased drowsiness, weakness and lethargy. At the initial stage of poisoning with someone else to make contact, to talk to, something to ask him. Then develops a deep sleep, in severe cases – coma. As a rule, in cases of poisoning with these drugs people die in their sleep.
  • Reduction of all reflexes develops due to depression of the Central nervous system.
  • Hyperthermia. For poisoning hypnotics is characterized by the raising of body temperature to 40 degrees.
  • May develop vomiting in my sleep. Due to the reduction of the severity of swallowing and gag reflex can occur with aspiration of vomit into the respiratory tract and to develop respiratory arrest.
  • Slowing breathing. The person starts to breathe slowly and superficially, with a frequency of less than 10 breaths per minute. This change is associated with the inhibition of the respiratory center in the brain. When poisoning drugs you can die from respiratory arrest.
  • Bradycardia (slow heart rate) and hypotension (decrease blood pressure).
  • Perhaps the development of seizures and hallucinations.

Tranquilizers

A strong overdose of tranquilizers often leads to death. These drugs act on the Central and peripheral nervous system, and breathing and heart function. Tranquilizers are made strictly according to the recipe, and even a small deviation from the prescribed dosage can cause poisoning. Below is the list of drugs in this group:

  • Elenium;
  • napton;
  • seduksen;
  • diazepam;
  • oxazepam;
  • tazepam;
  • eunoktin;
  • Librium;
  • radedormum.

The clinical picture of poisoning by tranquilizers is the same as for poisoning hypnoticsdrugs.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are the most common drugs. Those drugs include:

  • paracetamol (efferalgan, Panadol);
  • acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin);
  • analgin;
  • ibuprofen (Nurofen);
  • Ketorolac (Ketanov, catalog);
  • nimesulide (nimesil);
  • indomethacin.

This group of drugs has analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect. Some reduce fever (paracetamol, ibuprofen). Aspirin is used for colours can be fluidized blood.

Poisoning is not death drugs NSAIDs often develops as a result of an overdose to speed up their actions. For example, feeling intense pain, the person takes more medication.

Please note that the use of children acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) can develop a quick death. The children have no enzyme for processing of this drug. Develop Reye's syndrome. Therefore, this drug is strictly prohibited for children.

Symptoms of poisoning drugs NSAIDs reminiscent of intestinal poisoning. A patient of stomachache, vomiting and diarrhea, General weakness, dizziness. It is also possible to decrease in body temperature, development of hand-shake, the emergence of anxiety and anxiety. By themselves, the drugs in this group rarely lead to death. Dangerous are the complications that can be provoked by the administration of these preparations in high dosages, namely:

  • gastro-intestinal bleeding. All the NSAID irritate the mucous membrane of the stomach and duodenum. If you drink lots of these drugs may develop damage to the integrity of the vascular wall in the submucosal balloon of these bodies. Gastrointestinal bleeding manifested by vomiting of dark, black stool (meleney), paleness and bluish discoloration of the skin, severe weakness, drowsiness, increased heart rate and lower blood pressure. A person can die due to massive blood loss;
  • acute pancreatitis is non-infectious inflammation of the pancreas, which develops necrotic death of its tissues. This pathology can be caused by overdose of NSAIDs. The patient develops the strongest girdle pain in the abdomen, nausea, vomiting, flatulence and diarrhea. On the skin of the abdomen can appear small purple hemorrhagic spots. The body temperature rises to 39 degrees. This disease without surgical intervention leads to death;
  • acute liver failure can develop as a result of taking a large number of drugs that the liver is unable to neutralize. The patient yellow skin, mucous membranes and sclera of the eye, there is pain in the right hypochondrium. Can disrupt the consciousness. Death may occur due to the liver failure;
  • kidney failure in which the kidneys are not able to cope with its function and clean the blood. This pathology may occur at toxic damage of nephrons (the structural units of the kidney) anti-inflammatory drugs.

Antibiotics

Antibiotics are drugs that are widely used in the treatment of bacterial infectious diseases. They are appointed by a doctor, which links with the patient rules and admission and dosing.

The table below shows the characteristics of the clinical picture in overdose of different antibacterial agents.

The name of a group of antibacterial medications Symptoms and signs
Penicillins, cephalosporins

(amoxil, Ceftriaxone, Cefodox)

  • nausea, vomiting and diarrhea;
  • attacks of General convulsions (as in an epileptic fit);
  • redness and itching of the skin (acute urticaria);
  • arrhythmia (due to imbalances of potassium in the blood);
  • mental excitement or falling into a stupor.
Tetracycline
  • severe pain in the stomach;
  • nausea, copious vomiting;
  • arrhythmia;
  • cramps;
  • angioedema.
Chloramphenicol
  • nausea and vomiting;
  • headache;
  • anorexia (lack of appetite);
  • heartburn;
  • diarrhea;

In the use of this drug in high doses may development of acute cardiovascular failure.

Fluoroquinolones
  • renal failure (swelling, decreased amount of urine)
  • the disruption of the heart, respiration;
  • fainting, disturbance of consciousness.

Antihistamines

Antihistamines used in allergic pathologies. They can be assigned with allergic dermatitis, urticaria, atopic dermatitis, etc. These drugs block the production of histamine – the main mediator that triggers allergic reactions. Some drugs also have a slight sedative effect. When treating them is forbidden to drive a car.

The drugs in this group include:

  • loratadine;
  • suprastin;
  • diphenhydramine;
  • the pain;
  • pipolfen.

Symptoms of poisoning antihistamine drugs appear 15-30 minutes. When consuming a lethal dose, the patient may die in an hour.

When you overdose antihistamines firstturn affects the nervous system. The symptoms of these drugs include:

  • a strong feeling of dryness in the mouth and eyes, thirst;
  • the increase in body temperature to 38-39 degrees;
  • nausea and subsequent vomiting;
  • first develops a General excitation, which changes dramatically retardation;
  • trembling of the hands;
  • seizures type of epilepsy;
  • tachycardia, possible cardiac arrhythmias;
  • change in blood pressure, it initially rises sharply and then declines rapidly to critical numbers;
  • loss of coordination, staggering;
  • increased sleepiness;
  • the gradual falling into a deep coma.

Drugs to lower blood pressure

Poisoning heart pills are very common among the population. During a heart attack or a sudden rise in blood pressure a person can drink a lot of different drugs, fearing for his life.

Also, the overdose of such drugs may develop in the elderly who may forget about what has taken the drug, and drink it again.

Please note that when taking beta-blockers (eg, propranolol) people who suffer from bronchial asthma, can develop a quick death.

Name popular anti-hypertensive drugs:

  • captopril;
  • lozap;
  • enalapril;
  • amiodarone;
  • inderal;
  • magnesium sulfate;
  • metoprolol;
  • nebivolol;
  • nifedipine.

In case of poisoning with antihypertensive drugs, the patient plummets blood pressure, may develop nausea and vomiting, disturbed consciousness. This condition is extremely dangerous, can cause a person to stop breathing and heartbeat.

What to do in case of drug overdose

Upon the slightest suspicion of overdose with any drug urgently need to call an ambulance. On the phone, tell the dispatcher about the incident, list the patient's symptoms and accurately state your location.

Remember that trying to self cure a person from drug overdose is very dangerous. He might die you have on hand, and you will not be able to help him. In order not to endanger his life, immediately seek medical help.

What to do while waiting for medics? The arrival time of a brigade of SMP is dependent on many factors (e.g., traffic congestion, availability of doctors at the time of the call). While waiting brigade SMEs need to be poisoned first aid in the home. It may depend on the prognosis for the patient's life. Below are the main components.

Gastric lavage

To clean the stomach from the residue of consumed drugs, it is necessary to drink a liter of water and provoke vomiting. For best results, repeat this washing several times.

This procedure is not available when:

  • disturbed consciousness of the patient;
  • the appearance of black or bloody vomiting.

No need to add in a solution for washing stomach solution of potassium permanganate or some other components. You may not know what chemical reaction they join with the drugs that poisoned people.

Enema

Enema is done on the basis of conventional capacino water. The temperature of the liquid for washing the colon should be neutral (room temperature).

Sorbents

These drugs will help to bind and flush the drugs that remain in the digestive tract.

Faster acting absorbents, which take in liquid form (e.g., smectite or APSCO). But if you have none, give the patient any other sorbent, suitable even for activated carbon.

Before giving the man a drink the drug, read the rules of dispensing, which are painted in the user manual.

Drink

The fluid will reduce the concentration of drug in the blood and accelerate the excretion by the kidneys, reduce dehydration. You can drink mineral water or plain water, tea with sugar.

Action in case of unconsciousness

In case of loss of consciousness patients you need to follow him until medics arrive, so it does not choke on vomit or your tongue. Turn his head to one side, in this position the risk of aspiration is minimal.

To improve inflow of blood to the head and the heart, lift his legs and fix them in that position.

Before arrival of physicians to monitor the presence of a pulse and breathing. If they stop, start to carry out indirect compressions.

What to do with the development of convulsions

The only thing you can do to hold a man's head, so he wouldn't Bang her on the floor.

Remember that a person during a seizure nothing should be sticking in your mouth, especially your fingers.

Medical treatment

Doctors ambulance arrived at the call, conduct a quick inspection and assessment of the poisoned person. Show them a drug that he took, and to accurately name the number of consumed pills. You should also describe the level of assistance you had to provide yourself the victim.

Doctors will try to stabilize the victim and transport him to the nearest hospital. When medication poisoning treatment is carried out in the condition of the toxicology ward.Patients in critical condition are hospitalized in the intensive care unit (ICU).

Treatment may consist of hemodialysis, administration of antidotes, IV fluids, medications to support respiratory and heart. What will happen to the person and what results to expect from treatment, might tell only a doctor after examination of the patient and objective assessment of his condition.

Poisoning by drugs can lead to death. Treatment for this condition is performed in a hospital. The prognosis depends on the amount ingested of the drug, active substance, timely treatment for medical help. To treat drug overdose is impossible.