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A drug overdose can occur when a person takes more than the recommended dosage of a drug. There have however been cases where a person is sensitive to the recommended dosage and an overdose has occurred. A Drug Overdose can occur if a person uses prescription, over-the-counter and illegal drugs. It can happen in two different manners - accidental and intentional. Most often accidental overdoses happen when a child curiously opens up a pill bottle or when an elderly person forgets they already took their medication and accidentally doubles up. The symptoms that a person will show and their course of treatment depend highly on the drug they ingested and the quantity. Ingesting too much medicine does not necessarily mean the person will die. There is a range from mild to severe. Some of the symptoms a person might experience when overdosing on illegal drugs are low blood pressure, clammy skin, dilated pupils, slow or fast heart rate, breathing becomes labored, and skin turns blue, weakness or fatigue. When a person ingests too many non-narcotic medications their symptoms might consist of nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, pain in the abdomen area, liver failure and even multiple organ failure. When and Where to seek Emergency Care? Your doctor, your local poison center, or the emergency room of your local hospital may be able to help determine the seriousness of a suspected drug overdose. Development of any symptoms after drug overdose requires immediate and accurate information about the specific name of the drug, the amount of the drug ingested, and the time when the drug was taken. Often, the bottle the drug came in will have the information needed. • Some doctors' offices are equipped to handle overdoses; others are not. In life-threatening circumstances, an ambulance should usually be summoned by calling 911. • You are not expected to know when a drug overdose is serious. If you cannot reach a qualified professional by telephone to discuss the overdose, it would be prudent for you to take the overdosed person to the nearest hospital's emergency department or medical facility. Take appropriate caution when dealing with drug overdose. Each person responds differently, and reactions are hard to predict. Many people who are directed to go to the emergency department may not develop any physical signs of poisoning. Others will become quite ill. Best Treatments for an Overdose: 1. A most common treatment for a drug overdose is to pump the stomach. Doctors will usually perform what’s call a gastric lavage to remove any drugs that are still in the stomach. 2. Another treatment is to give the patient activated charcoal to stop any drugs from being absorbed into the bloodstream. The drugs that are bound to the charcoal are then expelled from the body in the stool. 3. Doctors can also administer drugs that will reverse the effect of the drug, is having on a person, to stop more harm from being done. If you suspect that someone has ingested too much medication then seek medical attention as soon as possible. Meredith Clark is the Director of Marketing (713) 889-2866 at the AOK Emergency Room, which is capable of handling mild to severe drug overdoses which include urgent to emergency care. Visit: 9180 Katy Freeway, Suite 165, Houston, TX. 77055 Tel: (281) 542-3998
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