The term drug overdose (or simply overdose or OD) describes the ingestion Ingestion is the consumption of a substance by an organism. In animals, it normally is accomplished by taking in the substance through the mouth into the gastrointestinal tract, such as through eating or drinking. In single-celled organisms, ingestion can take place through taking the substance through the cell wall or application of a drug A drug, broadly speaking, is any substance that, when absorbed into the body of a living organism, alters normal bodily function. There is no single, precise definition, as there are different meanings in drug control law, government regulations, medicine, and colloquial usage or other substance in quantities that are excessive.[1] An overdose is widely considered harmful and dangerous as it can result in death Death is the termination of the biological functions that sustain a living organism. The word refers both to the particular processes of life's cessation as well as to the condition or state of a formerly-living body.

Contents

Classification

The word "overdose" implies that there is a common safe dosage and usage for the drug; therefore, the term is commonly only applied to drugs, not poison In the context of biology, poisons are substances that can cause disturbances to organisms, usually by chemical reaction or other activity on the molecular scale, when a sufficient quantity is absorbed by an organism. Legally and in hazardous chemical labeling, poisons are especially toxic substances; less toxic substances are labeled ", though even certain poisons are harmless at a low enough dosage. Drug overdoses are sometimes caused intentionally to commit suicide Suicide is the act of a human being intentionally causing his or her own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair, or attributed to some underlying mental disorder which includes depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism and drug abuse. Financial difficulties, interpersonal relationships and other undesirable situations play or as self-harm Self-harm or deliberate self-harm (DSH) includes self-injury (SI) and self-poisoning and is defined as the intentional, direct injuring of body tissue without suicidal intent. These terms are used in the more recent literature in an attempt to reach a more neutral terminology. The older literature, especially that which predates the DSM-IV-TR,, but many drug overdoses are accidental and are usually the result of either irresponsible behavior or the misreading of product labels. Drug overdose often happens as a result of the use of multiple drugs with counter indications simultaneously (for instance, heroin Heroin, or diacetylmorphine , also known as diamorphine (BAN), is a semi-synthetic opioid drug synthesized from morphine, a derivative of the opium poppy. It is the 3,6-diacetyl ester of morphine (di (two)-acetyl-morphine). The white crystalline form is commonly the hydrochloride salt diacetylmorphine hydrochloride, though often adulterated thus/certain prescription pain medications and cocaine Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic. Specifically, it is a serotonin-norepinephrine-dopamine/amphetamines Amphetamine or amfetamine (INN) is a psychostimulant drug that is known to produce increased wakefulness and focus in association with decreased fatigue and appetite. Amphetamine is chemically related to methamphetamine and lisdexamfetamine, a class of potent drugs that act by increasing levels of dopamine and norepinephrine in the brain, inducing/alcohol In chemistry, an alcohol is any organic compound in which a hydroxyl functional group (-O .) Usage of illicit drugs that are of unexpected purity, in large quantities, or after a period of abstinence Abstinence is a voluntary restraint from indulging in bodily activities that are widely experienced as giving pleasure. Most frequently, the term refers to abstention from sexual intercourse, alcohol or food. The practice can arise from religious prohibitions or practical considerations can also induce overdose. Cocaine Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic. Specifically, it is a serotonin-norepinephrine-dopamine users that inject intravenously An injection is an infusion method of putting fluid into the body, usually with a hollow needle and a syringe which is pierced through the skin to a sufficient depth for the material to be forced into the body. An injection follows a parenteral route of administration; that is, administered other than through the digestive tract can overdose accidentally as the margin between an optimal flash and an overdose is small.[2]

Accidental overdoses can eventuate out of a number of different causes including overprescription, failing to recognise a drug's active ingredient, or unwitting ingestion by children[3] A common unintentional overdose in young children involves multi-vitamins containing iron. Iron Iron is the most common element in the earth as a whole, and the fourth most common in the Earth's crust. It is produced as a result of stellar fusion in high-mass stars, and it is the heaviest stable element produced by stellar fusion because the fusion of iron is the last nuclear fusion reaction that is exothermic. Iron is the most widely used is a component of the hemoglobin Hemoglobin is the iron-containing oxygen-transport metalloprotein in the red blood cells of vertebrates and the tissues of some invertebrates. Hemoglobin in the blood is what transports oxygen from the lungs or gills to the rest of the body (i.e. the tissues) where it releases the oxygen for cell use molecule A molecule is defined as an electrically neutral group of at least two atoms in a definite arrangement held together by very strong chemical bonds. Molecules are distinguished from polyatomic ions in this strict sense. In organic chemistry and biochemistry, the term molecule is used less strictly and also is applied to charged organic molecules in blood Blood is a specialized bodily fluid that delivers necessary substances to the body's cells – such as nutrients and oxygen – and transports waste products away from those same cells, used to transport oxygen Oxygen (pronounced /ˈɒksɨdʒɨn/, OK-si-jin, from the Greek roots ὀξύς (acid, literally "sharp", from the taste of acids) and -γενής (-genēs) (producer, literally begetter), is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. It is a member of the chalcogen group on the periodic table, and is a highly to living cells. When taken in small amounts, iron allows the body to replenish hemoglobin, but in large amounts it causes severe pH In chemistry, pH is a measure of the acidity or basicity of a solution. It approximates but is not equal to p[H], the negative logarithm of the molar concentration of dissolved hydronium ions (H3O+); a low pH indicates a high concentration of hydronium ions, while a high pH indicates a low concentration. Crudely, this negative of the logarithm imbalances in the body. If this overdose is not treated with chelation therapy Chelation therapy is the administration of chelating agents to remove heavy metals from the body. For the most common forms of heavy metal intoxication—those involving lead, arsenic or mercury—the standard of care in the United States dictates the use of dimercaptosuccinic acid .[citation needed] Other chelating agents, such as 2,3-dimercapto-1, it can lead to death or permanent coma In medicine, a coma is a profound state of unconsciousness. A person in a coma cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to pain, light or sound, does not have sleep-wake cycles, and does not take voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma can be described as comatose.

Signs and symptoms

Main article: Toxidrome In medicine, a toxidrome is a syndrome caused by a dangerous level of toxins in the body. It is often the consequence of a drug overdose. Common symptoms include dizziness, disorientation, nausea, vomiting, and oscillopsia. A toxidrome may indicate a medical emergency requiring treatment at a poison control center. Aside from poisoning, a systemic

Signs and symptoms of an overdose varies depending on the drug or toxin exposure. The symptoms can often be divided into differing toxidromes In medicine, a toxidrome is a syndrome caused by a dangerous level of toxins in the body. It is often the consequence of a drug overdose. Common symptoms include dizziness, disorientation, nausea, vomiting, and oscillopsia. A toxidrome may indicate a medical emergency requiring treatment at a poison control center. Aside from poisoning, a systemic. This can help one determine what class of drug or toxin is causing the difficulties.

A summary of the toxidromes:[4]

toxidrome BP HR RR Temp Pupils bowel sounds diaphoresis
anticholinergic ~ up ~ up up down down
cholinergic ~ ~ unchanged unchanged unchanged up up
opioid down down down down down down down
sympathomimetic up up up up up up up
sedative-hypnotic down down down down ~ down down

Causes

The drugs A psychoactive drug, psychopharmaceutical or psychotropic is a chemical substance that crosses the blood-brain barrier and acts primarily upon the central nervous system where it alters brain function, resulting in changes in perception, mood, consciousness, cognition, and behavior. These drugs may be used recreationally, to purposefully alter one' or toxins A toxin is a poisonous substance produced by living cells or organisms (although humans are technically living organisms, man-made substances created by artificial processes usually are not considered toxins by this definition). It was the organic chemist Ludwig Brieger (1849–1919) who first used the term 'toxin' which are most frequently involved in overdose and death (grouped by ICD-10 The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems 10th Revision is a coding of diseases and signs, symptoms, abnormal findings, complaints, social circumstances and external causes of injury or diseases, as classified by the World Health Organization. (WHO). The code set allows more than 14,400 different codes):

Diagnosis

Determination of the substance which was taken is often easy as usually the person knows what they took. However, if they will not or cannot due to an altered level of consciousness provide this information a search of the home or questioning of friends and family may be helpful.

Examination for toxidromes, drug testing, or laboratory test may be helpful. Naloxone the antidote for narcotics may be administered and if they improve it indicates this is probably part of the overdose.

Negative drug-drug interactions have sometimes been misdiagnosed as an acute drug overdose, occasionally leading to the assumption of suicide. [5]

Prevention

The distribution of naloxone to injection drug users decreases the risk of death from overdose.[6]

Avoid the mixing depressant drugs like alcohol, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, and opiates. [7]

Management

Stabilization of the ABCs are the initial treatment of an overdose. This involves establishing a stable airway, breathing rate and circulatory system as an essential first step. Ventilation is considered when there is a low respiratory rate or when blood gases show the person to be hypoxic. The next necessary step is to treat for shock. Investigations should be carried out in labs to help identify the drug(s) at hand such as glucose, urea and electrolytes, paracetamol levels and salicylate levels. Monitoring of the patient should continue before and throughout the treatment process, with particular attention to temperature, pulse, respiratory rate, blood pressure, urine output, electrocardiography (ECG) and O2 saturation.[8]

Antidotes

Main article: Antidotes

Specific antidotes are available for certain causative agents. The overdose agent is usually determined either via history or laboratory toxicology.

Poison control centers and Medical toxicologists are available in many areas to provide guidance in overdoses to both physicians and the general public.

Epidemiology

The National Center for Health Statistics report that 19,250 people died of accidental poisoning in the U.S. in the year 2004 (8 deaths per 100,000 population).[9]

In 2008 testimony before a Senate subcommittee, Medical Epidemiologist Dr. Leonard J. Paulozzi[10] of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated that in 2005 (the most recent year for which data was available) more than 22,000 American lives were lost due to overdoses, and the number is growing rapidly. Dr. Paulozzi also testified that all available evidence suggests that unintentional overdose deaths are related to the increasing use of prescription drugs, especially opioid painkillers. [11]

See also

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How many pills does it take to overdose and die?
Q. Save the concern, it's not for why you think... It's for a school report on depression. Any details you know about suicides by overdose is also appreciated.
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A. it differs dear according to the type of med. but if u want a help in your report u can choose any medicine u want and then read the banflet to see the dose good luck dear :)
Answered by honey sweet - Thu Aug 13 19:18:49 2009

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