Intoxication poisoning

A Intoxication poisoning is brought about consciously by the patient in most cases. Early medical measures can save lives.

What is sleep medication poisoning?

Accidentally overdosing on sleeping pills is potentially just as dangerous as trying to commit suicide. But the patient can often be saved.
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From one Intoxication poisoning is the talk in medicine when there is an excessive amount of medication with sleep-promoting or calming effects in the organism of an affected person. Corresponding drugs can have a toxic (poisoning) effect if overdosed.

In most cases, overdosed medication, which can lead to intoxication by sleeping pills, is consumed consciously by those affected. Such persons often pursue the intention of suicide (suicide). An only slightly pronounced intoxication with sleeping pills can be expressed, for example, by slackening muscles, unsteady gait and / or sleepiness.

Possible symptoms of severe intoxication poisoning include a drop in blood pressure and loss of consciousness. In addition, the body is less sensitive to pain stimuli. A life-threatening symptom of severe intoxication with sleeping pills is mainly shortness of breath.

causes

Among the drugs that most commonly cause one Intoxication poisoning include, for example, so-called barbiturates and benzodiazepines. Both groups of drugs are mainly sleep-promoting or calming due to their different modes of action.

Benzodiazepines are mostly used in medicine to combat sleep disorders or anxiety. In addition, barbiturates are even used as narcotics (narcotics) if they are dosed accordingly. Due to their degree of effectiveness, barbiturates usually lead to intoxication with sleeping pills even at lower doses than is the case with benzodiazepines.

In addition, sleeping pills usually occur more quickly when sleeping pills are combined with alcohol. Because alcohol increases the effect of barbiturates or benzodiazepines on the nervous system of an affected person.

Symptoms, ailments & signs

Symptoms of sleep pill poisoning depend on the degree of intoxication. It is also crucial how quickly the person affected gets help. Accidentally overdosing on sleeping pills is potentially just as dangerous as trying to commit suicide. But the patient can often be saved.

He may notice unusual lightheadedness or vomiting from being very sick. However, since the person concerned usually falls asleep after a sleeping pill poisoning, it is also possible that he does not notice the symptoms of an accidental overdose.

It is different with a deliberately ingested overdose of sleeping pills. Severe drowsiness and fatigue are followed by unconsciousness. You may experience difficulty breathing, low blood pressure and a sudden drop in blood pressure. The breath can develop into shortness of breath caused by poisoning.

The symptoms of intoxication, which are usually initiated by a combination of sedatives and sleeping pills or alcohol, can no longer be dealt with by the detoxification organs. The probability of a fatal cardiac arrest or cardiovascular failure is high. Death occurs due to self-induced symptoms if the patient is not found in time.

In the case of a suicidal dose of sleeping pills, intoxication poisoning leaves symptoms and discomfort even if the patient is saved in good time. Pumping the stomach out can lead to pneumonia. Through interactions with other drugs, severe damage to the detoxification organs can lead to health problems for years.

Diagnosis & course

The suspected diagnosis Intoxication poisoning is often initially possible on the basis of the typical symptoms mentioned. If a patient is unconscious, for example, appropriate drug packs in the immediate vicinity of the person concerned can corroborate the suspicion.

However, since symptoms of severe intoxication poisoning, such as unconsciousness and poor breathing, can also come from a large number of other causes, the latter must be checked or ruled out in further steps.

If the drugs that have led to sleep-inducing intoxication in individual cases are unknown, the corresponding active pharmaceutical ingredients can be identified in the organism with the help of a blood test. The course of intoxication poisoning depends on various factors.

The severity of poisoning and the period of time that elapses before medical measures are taken play a role here. If the drop in blood pressure and poor breathing as a result of severe intoxication with sleeping pills persists for a long time, circulatory failure and / or respiratory failure can lead to the death of the person concerned.

Complications

Sleeping pill poisoning initially causes the person to pass out. Depending on the dose taken, serious cardiovascular problems and finally cardiac arrest can occur after a short time. Failure to provide prompt treatment almost always results in death. At the same time, the blood pressure drops and there are breathing difficulties. In the further course, breathing finally stops and the person concerned falls into a coma.

Gastric lavage does not always go without complications. If the saline solution gets into the lungs, this can lead to shortness of breath or pneumonia, among other things. The concurrently administered sedatives can cause interactions with the swallowed preparations and thereby cause serious health problems. Artificial respiration sometimes causes symptoms such as pneumonia, stomach gas or an increase in intracranial pressure.

The heart, kidneys and liver as well as the blood vessels are also damaged by the mask or tube. It can also cause skin irritation and wounds that can become infected. Finally, in the case of intoxication poisoning, the administered antidotes can also cause complications. Typical are nausea and vomiting as well as interactions that cannot always be foreseen before using the corresponding remedies.

When should you go to the doctor?

If irregularities or a significant deterioration in the state of health arise after taking medication, a doctor should be consulted. Signs such as breathlessness, fatigue, or disorientation are worrying. In severe cases, the support of an ambulance service is required. If there is a disturbance of consciousness or a loss of perception, an emergency doctor must be alerted. First aid should be given by those present to avoid complications. Palpitations, acute oxygen deficiency and anxiety attacks indicate an impairment that needs to be investigated and treated.

Severe tiredness, shortness of breath and a sudden drop in blood pressure are to be understood as warning signals from the organism. They should be discussed with a doctor as soon as possible. If the person concerned suffers from nausea, vomiting or unexpected diarrhea, it is advisable to clarify the symptoms. Sweats, irregularities in the cardiovascular system, headaches or stomach cramps should also be examined.

Since in severe cases the affected person can die prematurely, a doctor should be consulted as soon as the first discrepancies or a feeling of illness have occurred immediately after taking the drug. In the case of slight symptoms of poisoning, a sufficient amount of water should be taken up. At the same time, it is advisable to contact an ambulance service by telephone so that a discussion about how to proceed can be decided.

Treatment & Therapy

Medical measures that are necessary for a Intoxication poisoning become necessary are based, among other things, on the individual symptoms of an affected person.

If the person concerned is unconscious, the stable side position (a body position as part of first aid) initially serves to keep the airways free. In addition, blankets are often used, which are used to maintain the body temperature of a person affected.

If the patient is severely intoxicated with sleeping pills due to barbiturates, antidotes must often be administered. Since there is also a risk of the contents of the stomach getting into the lungs in connection with unconsciousness, artificial respiration may also be necessary. As part of further medical measures in the case of severe intoxication by sleeping pills, the circulation is usually stabilized with the help of medication.

In order to remove various ingested toxins from a patient's stomach, gastric lavage is often one of the therapy modules for severe intoxication with sleeping pills. This measure can be supplemented by the use of diuretic drugs. In the case of very severe symptoms, intoxication with sleeping pills can eventually make blood washing necessary.

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prevention

There is one thing to prevent Intoxication poisoning primarily by not overdosing on sleep-promoting drugs. The serious effects of sleeping pills can be counteracted by early medical measures. If a person expresses specific thoughts of suicide, psychotherapeutic measures in particular can help to stabilize the person concerned. This can reduce the risk of intentional intoxication with sleeping pills.

Aftercare

In most cases, those affected have only a few direct follow-up measures available to them after they have been poisoned by sleeping pills. For this reason, a doctor should be consulted as early as possible to prevent these symptoms from recurring. No self-healing can occur. In the worst case, the person concerned will die if no treatment is initiated.

Those affected are usually dependent on intensive therapy so that there is no new intoxication with sleeping pills, unless this has come about as a result of a suicide attempt. In many cases, the help and support of one's own family is necessary to avoid depression and other psychological upsets.

The further course can generally not be predicted. In some cases, sleep pill poisoning can damage some organs so that the damage can no longer be treated. The life expectancy of the person affected can also be limited in some cases. First and foremost, the cause of this poisoning should be identified so that it does not recur.

You can do that yourself

If sleep poisoning is suspected, the emergency doctor must be called immediately or the patient must be taken to the nearest hospital. The affected person should be kept awake until the emergency doctor arrives or the hospital is reached. If the poisoning was accompanied by vomiting or severe diarrhea, the patient should drink fluids if possible, preferably water or fruit tea. It is also important that the medication that has been taken is secured and brought to the hospital. If the sleeping pill was consumed together with alcohol, or if there is at least a suspicion, the attending physician must be informed.

If the poisoning was an inadvertent incorrect dose, the patient should be informed immediately after the incident by a doctor or pharmacist about the correct use of the sleeping aid in order to prevent accidental poisoning again. Taking sleeping pills together with alcohol is life-threatening and must be avoided.

Poisoning with sleeping pills often represents a suicide attempt. Unless the attending physician has already initiated appropriate measures, it is important that the person concerned, and if he is unable to do so, his relatives, get the necessary psychological support To take care of. Psychotherapy is urgently required after a suicide attempt.