Antidepressants are a category of medication that affects the central nervous system. This group of drugs is widely used to eliminate a depressed state, nervousness.
If you take them as directed by a doctor, you can get rid of unpleasant symptoms. But unfortunately, not everyone follows this rule. Non-compliance with the instructions leads to an overdose of antidepressants. The article details this issue.
Uncontrolled Danger
Today, people experience stress every day. Many have difficulties at work or with their families. Fatigue and emotional stress can cause depression. To eliminate its manifestations, some use special medicines.
However, not everyone who uses antidepressants, pre-visit a doctor. There are quite affordable means. They can be purchased at any pharmacy, and for this you do not need a prescription. Taking such pills on the advice of friends or relatives is strictly prohibited.
After all, only a doctor can correctly assess the condition of the patient and choose the appropriate drug in an adequate volume. As a result of consuming too many medicines, an overdose of antidepressants often occurs. This condition, which is accompanied by severe intoxication of the body and often leads to serious consequences, up to death.
Why do poisoning happen?
Any drug, if taken incorrectly, can cause serious damage to human health. Especially this statement applies to drugs that have a strong effect on the body. Most overdoses of antidepressants occur by chance. Sometimes people take too large a dose of medicine to cope with problems and forget about them. Of course, such medications eliminate anxiety, irritability and melancholy, but using them as a means of dealing with life's difficulties is extremely dangerous. Antidepressants are very popular among modern youth. Thanks to them, boys and girls feel special. There are situations when a person who has missed taking a medication drinks immediately doubled quantity, which is unacceptable. This happens with elderly people who, due to poor memory, often forget that they have already taken the drug. Children and adolescents often become victims of poisoning.
Kids can swallow pills out of curiosity if the medicine box is in an accessible place for them. People of puberty often commit suicide and consciously drink a large dose. This is due to difficulties in the family, in the classroom. Symptoms of poisoning sometimes occur in people who drink tablets with carbonated water, tea, coffee, combine them with alcohol. such remedies can worsen the condition of a person who suffers from cardiovascular disease or allergies. However, he does not have to take a large amount of medicine. Regardless of the cause of the intoxication, you need to know what to do with an overdose of antidepressants.
Features of the manifestation of pathology
Such drugs affect the functioning of the central nervous system.
If a person has taken too much of the drug, brain damage may occur. With an overdose of antidepressants, the consequences are different - from increased drowsiness to the onset of a coma. The first symptoms of intoxication appear within half an hour after taking the medication.
For minors, a predominance of neurological disorders is typical. Adults suffer from malfunctioning of the myocardium and blood vessels. Heart rate is greatly accelerated. Sometimes a coma occurs. This condition can last about 24 hours. In rare cases, seizures occur, but they quickly pass. An overdose of antidepressants may indicate a decrease in pressure.
General symptoms
How to recognize a similar condition? The following signs indicate that a person was poisoned with these pills:
- Disorders of the activity of the organs of vision.
- Dry mouth.
- Lack of urination and stool.
- Pupil enlargement.
- Disorders of mental and speech activity.
- Visions, auditory hallucinations.
- Bouts of vomiting.
- Fever.
- Fit.
- Coma.
If there is at least one of the signs or you notice a combination of several symptoms of an overdose of antidepressants (and some of them are quite specific, for example, the same dilated pupils), do not hesitate: you need to urgently call an ambulance service. Intoxication can be mild, moderate, severe, and fatal. These conditions are discussed in the following sections.
First degree of poisoning
With a mild form, the patient has a lethargic, tired look. He feels severe weakness, suffers from sleep disturbances. Unpleasant sensations in the limbs may appear. The patient is tormented by migraine, intense vomiting, dry mouth. His pupils increase in volume. Often there is an acceleration of the heart rhythm, tremors, allergic edema.
The average degree of an overdose of antidepressants
This condition is accompanied by a disturbance of consciousness. The patient cannot move and talk normally. He does not understand where he is, confused and inhibited. Most of the time the patient is in bed because he is not able to get up.
People do not understand his speech, as it becomes chaotic. This condition is considered very dangerous. If you do not consult a doctor, serious consequences are possible.
Severe intoxication
The following symptoms are characteristic of it:
- Uncontrolled eye movements.
- Poor reaction of the organs of vision to light.
- Impaired respiratory function.
- Myocardial malfunctions (often observed with an overdose of tricyclic antidepressants).
- A sharp decrease in blood pressure, which threatens the life of the patient.
If the victim was provided with timely medical care, he can get out of the coma and fall asleep for a long time. This condition is considered a good sign. Most likely, the patient’s body will quickly recover.
Lethal degree of intoxication
It is observed in the case of taking 900-2000 milligrams of the drug.
A few seconds after taking the medication, disorders of the motor functions, agitation, involuntary urination occur. A man screams, runs, foam emerges from his mouth. After such an attack, the patient falls asleep for a long time.
An excited state usually alternates with lethargy. This phenomenon is especially characteristic of an overdose of tricyclic antidepressants. However, the patient should not be allowed to sleep, because this may worsen his well-being. You need to constantly slow down a person, talk with him.
How to help the patient before the arrival of doctors?
If you are sure that a person has an overdose of antidepressants, what to do in such a situation? First of all, you should call an ambulance service. Before the arrival of doctors, you need to do a gastric lavage. Before this procedure, the victim is given a drink of plenty of water with sodium chloride. Then the patient should take activated charcoal. Bowel cleansing with an enema is also performed. Then the patient should be laid down, given a drink of warm, but not hot, sweet tea and wait for the ambulance to arrive. If a person is in a swoon, vomiting cannot be provoked.
Cleansing the stomach is carried out by doctors. A probe is used for this. In a hospital setting, antidote injections are indicated, droppers are placed. This helps to eliminate the remaining toxins from the body. The patient is also prescribed drugs to normalize the functions of the myocardium, blood vessels and liver. If, due to an overdose of antidepressants, a person falls into a coma, the consequences can be serious, up to violations of the central nervous system.
To avoid poisoning with such pills, a number of preventive measures must be observed, which are discussed in the next section.
How to prevent intoxication?
To do this, you must:
- Take antidepressants only as directed by a doctor.
- Do not exceed the dose recommended by a specialist.
- Do not forget about the rules of storage of drugs.
- If the medicine is expired, it must be discarded.
- Before using antidepressants, you should learn about their effect on the body as a whole.
- Tablets should be stored in a place inaccessible to children, people of advanced age, people with severe mental disorders and a tendency to suicide.
- It is forbidden to drink medicines of this kind with soda, mineral water, juices, coffee or tea.
- During the course of therapy, you should not use alcohol-containing products.
Antidepressant poisoning often occurs due to the neglect of people to their own health. If you follow the rules for taking drugs and protect your body, you can avoid this dangerous condition.