Poisoning

What is it?

Injury or death due to swallowing, inhaling, touching or injecting various drugs, chemicals, venoms or gases. 
Many substances — such as drugs and carbon monoxide — are poisonous only in higher concentrations or dosages.
Certain types of cleaners are only harmful if ingested, while others also emit toxic gases/fumes. 

Symptoms:

Poisoning signs and symptoms can mimic other conditions, such as seizure, alcohol intoxication, stroke and insulin reaction. 
May include:
If you suspect poisoning, be alert for clues such as empty pill bottles or packages, scattered pills, and burns, stains, and odors on the person or nearby objects. 

Plan of Action:

How you treat someone who may have been poisoned depends on:

When to call for help:

Call 911 or your local emergency number immediately if the person is:
Call Poison Help at 800-222-1222 in the United States or your regional poison control center in the following situations:
Be ready to describe the person's symptoms, age, weight, other medications he or she is taking, and any information you have about the poison. Try to determine the amount ingested and how long since the person was exposed to it. If possible, have on hand the pill bottle, medication package or other suspect container so that you can refer to its label when speaking with the poison control center.

What to do while waiting for help:

In the case of an opioid overdose:

If the person is at risk of overdose of opioid pain medication and naloxone (Narcan) is available, please administer.
Increasingly, health care providers are giving people Narcan injectable prescriptions if they are at risk of overdose. Loved ones should be familiar with how to use them.

Caution


Revision #1
Created 6 March 2023 20:02:35
Updated 7 April 2023 15:18:52