Drug overdose occurs when an individual takes more than the recommended therapeutic dosage of a drug, leading to harmful or fatal side effects. Symptoms and treatment vary depending on the drug. Overdoses can be intentional or accidental and involve any type of drug. Medical professionals need to know what medications have been taken to effectively treat this crisis.
In the case of prescription or over-the-counter drugs, an overdose occurs when an individual takes more than the recommended therapeutic dosage of a drug. With illegal drugs taken to intoxicate, a drug overdose occurs when the body’s metabolism is unable to prevent the drug from reaching toxic levels. Overdose can be intentional or accidental. Either way, they can lead to harmful or even fatal side effects. Symptoms and treatment vary depending on the drug or drugs ingested.
Drug overdoses can involve any type of drug, although it tends to be more common with illicit drugs because there is no recommended safe dosage. Often the crisis involves the ingestion of multiple drugs that contraindicate each other. Some individuals may have a lower tolerance for certain types of medications, which can lead to taking too much, even if the recommended dosage is taken.
Accidental overdose occurs most often in children between the ages of two and five but can affect individuals of any age group. Children may unknowingly take medications not meant for them, or they may ingest too many vitamins or supplements by mistake. In older children and adults, accidental overdosing of medications can occur when the drugs have been prescribed by a doctor or when the adult is unaware of the active ingredients of a particular drug. With illicit drugs, accidental overdoses can occur because the drugs are more potent than intended. Intentional overdose is most common among young adults in their teens and 30s, but can be attempted by any individual who wishes to self-harm or commit suicide.
Typically, taking too much of a drug causes changes in vital signs, an increase or decrease in body temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate, and blood pressure. The specific symptoms vary, however, depending on the drug ingested. For example, amphetamine can cause chest pain, elevated blood pressure, and amphetamine psychosis, a temporary condition that usually only occurs with extremely high doses. Overdoses caused by opioids, such as heroin or morphine, can cause coma, dilated pupils, and slow breathing, as well as confusion, shock, fluid in the lungs, and abnormally low blood pressure and heart rate. Symptoms of aspirin overdose can include nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain, increased body temperature and respiratory rate, hallucinations, seizures, brain swelling, and coma.
Medical professionals need to know what medications have been taken to effectively treat this crisis. Common courses of treatment include pumping into the stomach to remove drugs that have not yet been absorbed by the digestive system or administering activated charcoal, a porous substance that absorbs drugs, allowing them to be harmlessly passed out. Some cases may require a specific antidote to counteract the effects of the drug. Kidney dialysis or chelation may be needed in some circumstances to remove toxins from the patient’s system.
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