what will taking a lot of pills do to you

• Definition
  • What Is a Drug Overdose?
  • What Is an Accidental Drug Overdose?
• Symptoms & Signs
  • What Are the Symptoms and Signs of a Drug Overdose?
• Risk Factors
  • What Are the Chance Factors for Drug Overdosing?
• Call a Doctor
  • When Should You Call a Physician over a Suspected Drug Overdose?
• Specialists
  • Which Types of Doctors Treat a Drug Overdose?
• Tests
  • How Do Doctors Test for a Drug Overdose?
• Treatment at Home
  • Tin can a Drug Overdose Be Treated at Home?
• Treatment
  • What Is the Medical Handling for a Drug Overdose?
  • Do You Demand to See a Medico Later a Drug Overdose?
• Deaths
  • Can Y'all Dice from a Drug Overdose?
• Prevention
  • How Tin People Forestall an Accidental or Purposeful Drug Overdose?
• More Info
  • Where Can People Get More Information on Drug Overdoses?
• Guide
  • Drug Overdose Topic Guide
  • Doctor's Notes on Drug Overdose Symptoms

What Is a Drug Overdose?

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A drug overdose may be adventitious or intentional.

Overdoses of drugs or chemicals can be either adventitious or intentional. Drug overdoses occur when a person takes more than the medically recommended dose of a prescription or over-the-counter drug. All the same, some people may be more sensitive to certain medications then that the high terminate of the therapeutic range of a drug may be toxic for them.

Illicit drugs, used to get high, may exist taken in overdose amounts when a person'southward metabolism cannot detoxify the drug fast enough to avoid unintended side effects.

Exposure to chemicals, plants, and other toxic substances that can cause harm are called poisonings. The higher the dose or the longer the exposure, the worse the poisoning. Ii examples are carbon monoxide poisoning and mushroom poisoning.

• People respond differently to a drug overdose. Treatment is tailored to the private's needs.
• Drug overdoses can involve people of whatever age. It is virtually common in very young children (from itch age to about five years) and among teenagers to those in their mid-30s.
• In 2014, there were 47,055 drug overdose deaths in the U.S. Overdose deaths from opioids, including prescription opioids and heroin, killed more than 28,000 people that same yr. More than than one-half of those deaths were from prescription opioids.

What Are the Symptoms and Signs of a Drug Overdose?

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Drugs have effects on the entire body. Generally, in an overdose, the furnishings of the drug may be a heightened level of the therapeutic effects seen with regular use. In overdose, side furnishings get more than pronounced, and other effects can have identify, which would not occur with normal use. Large overdoses of some medications cause but minimal effects, while smaller overdoses of other medications can cause severe effects, possibly expiry. A unmarried dose of some medications tin be lethal to a young child. Some overdoses may worsen a person'due south chronic illness. For case, an asthma attack or chest pains may be triggered.

Signs and Symptoms of a Drug Overdose

1. Problems with vital signs (temperature, pulse rate, respiratory charge per unit, claret pressure) are possible and can be life-threatening. Vital sign values tin can be increased, decreased, or completely absent.
2. Sleepiness, confusion, and blackout are common and tin can be dangerous if the person breathes vomit into the lungs (aspiration).
3. Skin can be cool and sweaty, or hot and dry.
4. Seizures (convulsions) may occur.
5. Breast pain is possible and can be acquired past heart or lung damage. Shortness of breath may occur. Breathing may become rapid, slow, deep, or shallow.
6. Abdominal pain, nausea, airsickness, and diarrhea are possible. Vomiting blood, or blood in bowel movements, tin exist life-threatening.
7. Specific drugs can damage specific organs, depending on the drug.

What Is an Accidental Drug Overdose?

The cause of a drug overdose is either past adventitious overuse or past intentional misuse. Accidental overdoses result from either a immature kid or an adult with dumb mental abilities swallowing a medication left inside their grasp. An adult (peculiarly elderly persons or people taking many medications) tin can mistakenly ingest the incorrect medication or take the wrong dose of a medication. Purposeful overdoses are for a desired outcome, either to get high or to harm oneself.

• Young children may swallow drugs past accident considering of their curiosity about medications they may find. Children younger than 5 years (peculiarly six months to three years) tend to place everything they find into their mouths. Drug overdoses in this age group are generally acquired when someone accidentally leaves a medication within the child's achieve. Toddlers, when they find medications, frequently share them with other children. Therefore, if yous suspect an overdose in one kid while other children are around, those other children may accept taken the medication as well.
• Adolescents and adults are more probable to overdose on one or more drugs in order to damage themselves. Attempting to impairment oneself may stand for a suicide attempt. People who purposefully overdose on medications frequently suffer from underlying mental health weather condition. These atmospheric condition may or may non have been diagnosed before.

What Are the Hazard Factors for Drug Overdosing?

Risk factors for drug overdose are those that would make someone more than probable to abuse drugs, or more than probable to accidentally take the incorrect medication or take the incorrect dose of a medication.

Risk factors for accidental drug overdose include the following:

• Age: Young children and the elderly are at risk.
• Taking many different medications
• Mental illness

Chance factors for drug overdose in drug abusers include the post-obit:

• Gender: Men are more likely to corruption drugs.
• Age: For example, people 45-54 years of historic period are more likely to abuse opioids, while people 25-34 years of age are more likely to abuse heroin.
• Depression income
• Mental illness
• High daily dosage of medications
• Physician shopping
• Injection drug use
• Mixing alcohol with drugs
• Using multiple drugs
• History of overdose
• Use of street drugs
• Using drugs lone

When Should You lot Call a Doctor over a Suspected Drug Overdose?

Your medico, your local poison center, or the emergency department of your local hospital may be able to help determine the seriousness of a suspected drug overdose. Development of whatsoever symptoms after drug overdose requires firsthand and accurate information about the specific proper name of the drug, the amount of the drug ingested, and the fourth dimension when the drug was taken. Often, the canteen the drug came in volition have the information needed.

• Some doctors' offices are equipped to handle overdoses; others are not. Some doctors' offices suggest their patients to go to a infirmary's emergency department. In life-threatening circumstances, phone call 911.
• Y'all are not expected to know when a drug overdose is serious. If you lot cannot reach a qualified professional by telephone to hash out the potential overdose or cannot call the Poison Control Middle (800-222-1222), information technology would be prudent for you to take the overdosed person to the nearest infirmary'southward 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 whatever physical signs of poisoning. Others will become quite ill.

• A person unwilling to go to the hospital may demand persuasion past trained professionals in emergency medical services (paramedics and ambulance personnel) or the police force enforcement community. Telephone call 911 for these services. Family members are also often helpful in persuading the person to seek medical care.
• Anyone who is with a person who overdoses on drugs can assist by finding all medication or chemical containers and bringing them to the emergency department dr..

Which Types of Doctors Care for a Drug Overdose?

An emergency-medicine specialist in a infirmary'southward emergency department treats a drug overdose. A medical toxicologist may exist consulted on some individuals. If a child overdoses, depending on the circumstances, Child Protective Services personnel may be involved. If a suicide try was the reason for the overdose, psychiatry services may need to exist consulted.

If you lot have a trouble with drug corruption, you may run into an addiction specialist and a advisor to help bargain with your addiction.

How Exercise Doctors Test for a Drug Overdose?

A history and physical test to await for evidence of drug poisoning will be performed. The doctor may order laboratory tests based on the organ systems that can exist harmed by the specific drug overdose to make a diagnosis.

• Family unit members and associates are an important source of information. They can assist in providing the md with names of drugs, amounts taken, and timing of overdose.
• Specific drug levels in the blood may be measured, depending on the drug taken and the reason for the overdose.
• Drug screening, with analysis of the urine and/or blood may likewise exist done.

Can a Drug Overdose Exist Treated at Home?

Abode care and home remedies should non exist done without kickoff consulting a doctor or toxicant expert. Telephone call Poison Control 800-222-1222 (U.S.) even if the person has no symptoms but overdose is suspected.

For some accidental drug overdoses, the local poisonous substance command eye may recommend home therapy and observation. Considering of the potential for issues after some overdoses, syrup of ipecac or other therapies should not exist given unless directed past a medical professional person.

• Near people take telephone admission to a local poison control eye. The phone number 800-222-1222 volition get you through to a poison specialist.
• Anyone who has small children at dwelling should take the "poison line" telephone number readily bachelor near the telephone.
• People who have a drug overdose in an endeavour to impairment themselves by and large crave psychiatric intervention in addition to toxicant management. People who overdose for this purpose must be taken to a hospital's emergency department, fifty-fifty if their overdose seems footling. These people are at risk for somewhen achieving a successful suicide. The sooner y'all intervene, the meliorate the success of avoiding suicide.

What Is the Medical Treatment for a Drug Overdose?

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If a person is suspected of overdosing on drugs, phone call 911 immediately.

Treatment will be dictated by the specific drug taken in the overdose. Information provided almost corporeality, fourth dimension, and underlying medical problems volition be very helpful.

• Activated charcoal may be given to help bind drugs and keep them in the stomach and intestines. This reduces the amount absorbed into the claret. The drug, bound to the charcoal, is so expelled in the stool. Often, a cathartic is given with the activated charcoal so that the person more quickly evacuates stool from his or her bowels.
• Agitated or violent people demand physical restraint and sometimes sedating medications in the emergency department until the effects of the drugs wear off. This tin can be agonizing for a person to experience and for family members to witness. Medical professionals get to swell lengths to apply only as much force and as much medication as necessary. It is important to remember that any the medical staff does, it is to protect the person they are treating. Sometimes the person has to be intubated (have a tube placed in the airway) so that the doctor tin can protect the lungs or help the person breathe during the detoxification process.
• For certain overdoses, other medicine may need to be given either to serve as an antidote to reverse the effects of what was taken or to prevent fifty-fifty more than harm from the drug that was initially taken. The doctor will decide if treatment needs to include additional medicines.

Do You Need to See a Physician Afterwards a Drug Overdose?

Everyone who suffers an overdose needs to be seen by his or her doctor for follow-up. In function this is to ensure that there are no delayed injuries to any organ system. It is also to make sure that prevention against a recurrence is in place.

• After an intentional drug overdose has been managed and the person is out of danger, psychiatric care needs to be provided. The abuser of illicit drugs should also exist considered for a mental health evaluation. Finding a support group for a psychiatric or substance corruption problem can exist very helpful.
• For children, the experience of being treated for an overdose may accept been frightening. They need help in coping with the trauma as well equally learning from the fault. Following upward with their pediatrician tin can reduce anxiety and also exist a good learning feel. The same is true for their parents. Do not point fingers or assign guilt. Use the follow-up visit to discuss prevention and safety.

Can You Die from a Drug Overdose?

The prognosis for drug overdose tin vary. In many cases, a person who overdoses by and large recovers completely and without lasting physical disability.

• Some serious drug overdoses are fatal, even with appropriate and timely treatment.
• Some drugs tin can crusade transient impairment to certain organ systems. Improvement is noted first in the hospital and and so at home. However, some overdoses tin can cause permanent damage to sure organ systems. The liver and the kidneys are ii organ systems at loftier risk.
• Brain damage resulting from suppression of lung and heart function is generally permanent.
• If the mental wellness problems that led to an intentional overdose are not addressed, and so the person remains at risk for repetitive drug overdoses. Multiple overdoses can have a cumulative outcome on some organ systems and pb to injury and organ failure. Sometimes this effect is non recognized until later in the person's life.

How Can People Prevent an Accidental or Purposeful Drug Overdose?

To prevent accidental overdoses, medications, even over-the-counter pain relievers and vitamins, must be kept in a condom, secure identify. Intentional overdoses are harder to prevent, unless the underlying problems are addressed. Unintentional, illicit drug overdose is a serious problem best solved by getting the person away from access to the illicit drug (see Drug Dependence and Abuse).

People with certain mental illnesses need the assist of family and friends to assist with medication therapy and to lend social support. Drug abusers also demand this same support in order to stay clean and safe.

• Toxicant prevention and injury prevention in children is an important task for parents, grandparents, and others who take care of small children. Brand your dwelling house safe so children do non accept admission to medications. Accidental poisoning is a leading cause of decease in children from the historic period of 6 months to 5 years.
• Make sure elderly people sympathise how to have their medication and tin can recognize i medicine from another. Information technology may exist safest to provide some sort of supervision for seniors in taking medication. Pills can be sorted into small containers and labeled to evidence the time they are to be taken. Some containers come with clocks that have audible alarms as a reminder to take medications at specific times. Other containers can be filled a calendar week at a time.

Where Can People Become More Information on Drug Overdoses?

American Association of Poison Command Centers
3201 New Mexico Avenue, Suite 330
Washington, DC 20016
202-362-7217

American Association of Poison Control Centers

From

Overdose of Narcotics

• Any person suspected of narcotic overdose requires immediate medical attention and must be taken to a hospital's emergency section.
• The principal physical signs of narcotic overdose are small pupils and respiratory depression (shallow breathing) that can lead to decreased oxygen in the blood, coma, and death.
• Street methods of overdose resuscitation, such equally packing the person in ice or injecting milk or saliva, do non work.

Reviewed on nine/23/2021

References

Rhyee, Sean H. "General approach to drug poisoning in adults." UpToDate. Aug 2019. <http://www.uptodate.com/contents/general-approach-to-drug-poisoning-in-adults>.

Stolbach, Andrew, and Robert S. Hoffman. "Acute opioid intoxication in adults." UpToDate. Aug 2019. <http://www.uptodate.com/contents/acute-opioid-intoxication-in-adults>.

U.s.a.. Centers for Illness Control and Prevention. "Injury Prevention & Command: Opioid Overdose." Mar. fourteen, 2016. <http://world wide web.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/data/
index.html>.

Us. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Heart for Injury Prevention and Command. "Populations at Risk for Opioid Overdose." April. 12, 2012. <http://world wide web.fda.gov/downloads/drugs/newsevents/ucm300859.pdf>.

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