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Health Information Encyclopedia - Poison


Cardiac glycoside overdose

Definition:

This is poisoning from cardiac glycoside.



Alternative Names: Digoxin overdose; Digitoxin overdose; Lanoxin overdose; Purgoxin overdose; Allocar overdose; Corramedan overdose; Cystodigin overdose

Poisonous Ingredient:
  • Deslanoside
  • Digitoxin
  • Digoxin(e)
Note: This list may not be all inclusive.

Where Found:
  • Deslanoside (cedilanin-D)
  • Digitoxin (Crystodigin)
  • Digoxin (Lanoxicaps, Lanoxin)
  • Foxglove
Note: This list may not be all inclusive.

Symptoms:

* These symptoms are usually only seen with chronic overdose cases.



Home Treatment:

Do not make the person throw up unless told to do so by Poison Control or a health care provider.



Before Calling Emergency:

Determine the following information:

  • Patient's age, weight, and condition
  • Name of product (as well as the ingredients and strength, if known)
  • Time it was swallowed
  • Amount swallowed


Poison Control, or a local emergency number:

The National Poison Control Center (1-800-222-1222) can be called from anywhere in the United States. This national hotline number will let you talk to experts in poisoning. They will give you further instructions.

This is a free and confidential service. All local poison control centers in the U.S. use this national number. You should call if you have any questions about poisoning or poison prevention. It does NOT need to be an emergency. You can call for any reason, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Take the container with you to the hospital, if possible.

See National Poison Control center.



What to expect at the emergency room:

The health care provider will measure and monitor the patient's vital signs, including temperature, pulse, breathing rate, and blood pressure.

The patient may receive:

  • Medicines to treat symptoms
  • Activated charcoal
  • Methods to make the person throw up
  • A nasogastric (NG) tube thru the nose into the stomach to empty the stomach (gastric lavage)���
  • EKG
  • Blood tests to check�digitalis,�serum magnesium, and serum potassium levels
  • Medicine (antidote) to reverse the effects of the overdose
  • Methods to correct electrolyte (potassium, magnesium) imbalances


Expectations (prognosis):

If the patient survives the first 24 hours the chance of survival is very good.




Review Date: 4/4/2006
Reviewed By: Janeen R. Azare, PhD, MSPH, Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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