Overdosing of a medicinal drug can be accidental or intentional. This happens when a person takes more than the prescribed dose. However, some people may be more sensitive to certain medications, so the lower (more dangerous) end of the medication may be toxic to them. The dose is still within acceptable limits for medical use and may be too large for the body to tolerate.
When medication fails to remove toxins quickly enough to prevent unwanted side effects of the body’s metabolism, taking of high dose or drugs can be suspended. Exposure to poisonous plants, chemicals and others are called poisoning. The higher the dose or the better the effect, the worse the poisoning. Examples include carbon dioxide poisoning and mushroom poisoning.
Accidental overdose is a medicine that a child or adult with a mental illness can take. Adults, especially older adults or people who take many medications may accidentally swallow the wrong medication or take the wrong dose. It’s is essential to check the dosage appropriately before consuming. More attention should be paid to compounded medicines. The target overdose is to increase happiness or achieve the desired effect of self-harm. Young children accidentally swallow drugs because they want to know what they can get their hands on. Children younger than 5 years old, most toddlers starting from 6 months tend to put what they get into their mouths. Overdose in this age group usually occurs when someone accidentally keeps the medicine out of children’s reach. When young children discover drugs, they often share it with other children. Therefore, if you suspect a child is taking an overdose while you have other child close by, the other children will take the same medication too.
The drug affects the whole body. In general, at higher doses, the effect of the drug may be greater than the first therapeutic effect with regular use. At higher doses, side effects may be more pronounced and other unusual effects may occur. Some medicines with high doses have only mild side effects, while other low doses can cause serious side effects and lead to death. A single dose of some medicines can be fatal to a child. Some higher doses can make a person’s chronic disease worse. For example, it can cause asthma or chest pain.
Vital sign problems (temperature, pulse, respiratory rate, blood pressure) are possible and life-threatening. Vital sign values may increase, decrease, or disappear completely.
Faintish, confusion, and coma, when patients is unresponsive are common and can be dangerous if a person inhales poisons from the lungs. The skin may be cold and sweaty or hot and dry. Chest pain can be caused by damage to the heart or lungs. Shortness of breath may occur. Breathing can be fast, slow, deep or shallow.
Your doctor, local poison control center or local hospital emergency department may be able to help determine the severity of a suspected overdose. Each treatment after an overdose requires immediate and accurate knowledge of the exact name of the drug, how much and when to take it. Usually this information will be present in the bottles of drugs.
