Surely everyone knows what glycine is. This is a popular tool that relieves nerve stress and improves performance. It is especially popular among schoolchildren, students, impressionable people and athletes.
Many consider this tool a harmless drug. But it is not so. He has a number of contraindications and possible side effects. Even an overdose of glycine is possible. And now it’s just about her talk.
Composition and purpose
This drug is an aliphatic amino acid used in medicine as a nootropic drug.
Glycine has a sedative, tranquilizing and antidepressant effect. Taking this drug reduces the feeling of fear and anxiety, psycho-emotional stress, and also weakens the severity of side effects of antipsychotics, antidepressants, anticonvulsants.
In addition to the above, glycine is able to normalize metabolism, reduce psychoemotional stress, increase working capacity, and positively affect associative processes and memory.
In general, a number of properties are attributed to him. People drink the drug in order to improve mood, eliminate conflict and aggressiveness, facilitate falling asleep, etc.
However, do not get involved in this tool. An overdose of glycine is possible. And it arises in many, since not all comply with the measure, considering the drug harmless.
Norm
Before you talk about what threatens an overdose of glycine, it is worth identifying a measure that is permissible. So, the norms are:
- For children under 3 years, the maximum daily dose is limited to 0.15 g. This is one and a half tablets.
- Children over 3 years old can take a maximum of 0.3 g. That is, three tablets.
- Everyone who is older than adolescence is allowed to take 0.6 g per day. These are six tablets of the drug.
It is also worth remembering that this drug is prescribed by the course. And the maximum dosage for children and adults is 2.6 and 18 grams, respectively. For one course you can not take the drug in larger quantities.
Can I die from an overdose of glycine? No, the amino acid does not cause death. But its use in excessively large quantities is fraught with many unpleasant consequences.
Overdose symptoms
Glycine in large quantities can cause significant harm to the body. An excess of synthetic amino acid affects its condition much worse than its lack. And here are some signs that are considered alarming:
- Allergic edema and skin rashes.
- Violations of coordination of movements.
- Drowsiness, weakness.
- Vomiting and loose stools, other manifestations of a violation of the gastrointestinal tract.
- Inhibition of brain activity.
- Low pressure.
- Heart rhythm disturbances.
There may be other symptoms of an overdose of glycine. Due to the drainage of the oral cavity, coughing attacks appear, and redness and rashes are often accompanied by itching. Even anaphylactic shock is possible.
Also, a number of symptoms often resemble an asthma attack. This should especially alert a person if he has not previously suffered from such problems. In addition, if you do not immediately help him, one of the problems that will be discussed below may occur.
Lactic acidosis
This is a very rare and life-threatening disease. One of the most serious consequences of an overdose of glycine.
Pathology develops very quickly, within a few hours. And here is what is being observed:
- Muscle pain
- Symptoms of cardiovascular failure.
- Dyspeptic phenomena.
- Discomfort behind the sternum.
- Apathy.
- Increased breathing.
- Insomnia or sudden onset of drowsiness.
Many also have abdominal pain, vomiting, spastic paresis, areflexia, Kussmaul's noisy breathing. Against the background of all these manifestations, intravascular coagulation syndrome develops, myocardial activity worsens.
Then a person simply loses consciousness, and a lactic acid coma sets in. The prognosis is unfavorable - even if qualified assistance is provided to the victim on time, the probability of mortality is 70%.
Protein poisoning
Another consequence of an overdose of glycine. Like lactic acidosis, it occurs in rare cases, but there is a likelihood of its occurrence. It is accompanied by such symptoms:
- A prolonged feeling of nausea.
- Heat.
- Strong headache.
- Diarrhea with blood.
- Dizziness and loss of consciousness.
- Intestinal pains, having a sharp, cramping nature.
- Bloating and excessive gas formation.
- Darkening of urine.
Even timely assistance rendered is not in all cases a guarantee of the absence of complications.
After the transferred protein poisoning, toxins begin to accumulate in the intestine and the processes of decay intensify. A person suffers from chronic fatigue and a breakdown. Chronic constipation, stone formation in the bladder and kidneys are possible, and the calcium deficiency resulting from poisoning is compensated by the body due to bone tissue.
Other side effects
As mentioned earlier, the two mentioned complications are rare. Most often, excessive consumption of glycine entails the following consequences:
- Significant decrease in attention.
- Loss of ability to concentrate.
- Severe inhibition. It is associated with suppression of adrenaline production.
- Pressure reduction. This is dangerous for hypotonics.
- Strong load on the kidneys.
- Difficulty breathing.
The most dangerous overdose for children. For them, this is fraught with kidney complications. In such cases, you can’t hesitate - you must immediately call an ambulance and hospitalize the child.
Under stationary conditions, he will have gastric lavage and prescribe medication. As a rule, children are prescribed "Smecta" - a means in the form of a suspension with a caramel flavor, which has an adsorbing effect. An alternative is the sweet paste "Enterosgel".
After returning home, the child must comply with the drinking regimen, which will help to quickly remove the remains of the drug from the body, as well as rest longer.
It should also be noted that this drug is not recommended for drivers (it causes a relaxed state, but they need to be concentrated), as well as for nursing mothers and people with individual intolerance. And despite the fact that glycine can be taken even from birth (as the instructions say), you should not give it to infants without good reason and medical advice.
In case of pregnancy
Talking about what is fraught with an overdose of glycine in adults, it is necessary to discuss the question of whether this drug can be taken at all by women in position.
Yes, if that’s the medical recommendation. Do not forget that during the period of gestation, the woman’s body becomes completely different. All systems are being rebuilt to a new mode of operation, the hormonal background is changing, to say nothing of the central nervous system.
Glycine during this period can help eliminate nervous tension, irrational fears, sleep problems and lack of appetite. But any doctor, before appointing him, will advise a woman to establish a regimen, monitor nutrition and engage in moderate physical activity.
No need to once again load the body with the use of any drugs. Indeed, if a woman accidentally takes too many tablets, an overdose of glycine during pregnancy will affect not only her health, but also the condition of the fetus.
First aid
So, if an overdose of glycine occurs, what should I do? It all depends on the circumstances. If a person intentionally took a large dose of the drug, but a little time has passed from that moment, it is necessary to do a quick gastric lavage.
The procedure is performed in several steps: you need to drink 300-400 ml of water in one gulp and immediately induce vomiting. Still undigested tablets will come out of the stomach along with the liquid. It is worth repeating this procedure another 1-2 times.
But if a sufficient amount of time has passed, and the symptoms of an overdose of glycine began to manifest themselves, then the following actions are recommended:
- Taking an antihistamine. It is necessary to provide an anti-allergenic effect.
- Increased pressure with an extract of eleutherococcus or caffeine.
If it does not get any easier, you need to call an ambulance crew. It is not necessary to take sorbents (activated carbon, Enterosgel, etc.), since glycine is not a toxic agent, and therefore it is rapidly excreted by the kidneys.
Rehabilitation
After an overdose of glycine, you can recover in 1-2 days. To do this, a person will need to follow these recommendations:
- Observe a plentiful drinking regime. Consume at least 2 liters of fluid per day.
- Limit physical activity, relax more.
- Do not eat foods that contain natural glycine. These include eggs, brown rice, bananas, seeds, kiwi, nuts, jelly, jelly, jelly.
- Drink not only water, but also decoctions or infusions. It is best to do them on the basis of St. John's wort, Tibetan harvest, yarrow, chamomile, dandelion root, plantain, mint, and rosehip.
And of course, you need to take a break in taking glycine. In general, it is better to go to a therapist or a neurologist - a specialist will tell you which drug is best to take in certain cases.