- Additionally, information about the time of the overdose, the amount, and underlying medical problems will be helpful to the medical staff in determining what treatment options should be considered.
READ: The Alarming Abuse Of Prescription Drugs
Drug Overdose: What To Do Next
Treatment in the case of drug overdose will be determined by the specific drug taken, as well as the amount consumed.
- The stomach may be washed out by gastric lavage (stomach pumping) to mechanically remove unabsorbed drugs from the stomach
- Activated charcoal may be given to help bind drugs and keep them in the stomach and intestines. This reduces the amount absorbed into the blood. The drug, bound to the charcoal, is then expelled in the stool. Often, a cathartic is given with the charcoal so that the person more quickly evacuates stool from his or her bowels.
- The person may have to be intubated (have a tube placed in the airway) so that the doctor can protect the lungs or help the person breathe during the detoxification process.
- Other medicine may need to be given either to serve as an antidote to reverse the effects of what was taken or to prevent even more harm from the drug that was initially taken. The doctor will decide if treatment needs to include additional medicines.
- Agitated or violent people need physical restraint and sometimes sedating medications in the emergency department until the effects of the drugs wear off. This can be disturbing for a person to experience and for family members to witness.
Home Treatment
Home care should only be considered after consulting with a doctor or a poison expert, because of the potential for serious problems after particular overdoses.
- For some accidental drug overdoses, the local poison control center may recommend home therapy and observation.
- People who take a drug overdose in an attempt to harm themselves generally require psychiatric intervention in addition to poison management. The abuser of illicit drugs should also be considered for a mental health evaluation. Finding a support group for a psychiatric or substance abuse problem can be very helpful.
- Everyone who suffers an overdose needs to be seen by a doctor for a follow-up. In part 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.
- For children, the experience of being treated for an overdose may have been frightening, and they may need help coping with the trauma as well as learning from the mistake. Following up with their pediatrician can reduce anxiety.
- Never point fingers or assign guilt.