Drug Poisoning and Overdose for the Health Professional: Review of Select Over-the-Counter (OTC) and Prescription Medications

Abstract

Exposure to over-the-counter and prescription medications can pose significant therapeutic and health hazards to patients, and present health care professionals with scenarios that require proper assessment and treatment. Knowing when an exposure to or overdose of a drug requires emergency medical attention is equally as important as to knowing when such assistance is not necessary—that simple treatment measures performed at home will suffice. This current discussion is intended to highlight select principles and clinical information pertaining to common drug exposures and overdoses, but not replace the full spectrum of information that would be available to health care professionals (and the lay public) by contacting their nearest poison control center. Many of the basic principles and concerns that are encountered with exposures to chemicals (i.e., route of exposure, patient medical history, quantity of the substance involved, elapsed time since the initial exposure, etc.) apply equally well to drug exposures. Likewise, evaluating each of these variables will determine which type of treatment approaches are, and are not, considered in situations of drug (or chemical) exposure and overdose.