Barbiturate overdose
Barbiturate overdose is now a rare cause of poisoning.
Excessive barbiturate intake leads to poisoning, characterized by impaired cognition, uncoordinated movements, reduced consciousness, and suppressed breathing.[1] Respiratory failure is the usual cause of death, and a potential complication is pulmonary edema not caused by heart problems.[1] When combined with alcohol or benzodiazepines, the harmful effects of barbiturates increase cumulatively.[2]
Quick Facts
- Lethal dose variability
- Varies with a person's tolerance and how the drug is taken
- Common cause status
- Now a rare cause of overdose
Facts from the source article.
Key facts and history
Barbiturates increase the time the chloride pore of the GABA A receptor is opened, increasing GABA's efficacy.[3] Activated charcoal may be useful, and multiple doses may be required.[4] An overdose can be either unintentional or a deliberate attempt to commit suicide.[2] The amount of drug that proves fatal depends on an individual's drug tolerance and the method of administration.[2]
Barbiturates were frequently involved in overdoses historically, but such incidents are now uncommon.[5] No antidote exists for barbiturate overdose; management focuses on maintaining respiration and blood circulation.[4] In certain cases, hemodialysis might be used as a treatment option.[4] Making the urine more alkaline with sodium bicarbonate is a potential therapy, aiming for a urine pH above 7.5 and a flow rate exceeding 2 mL per kilogram per minute.[4]
Analysis of a patient's blood or urine can confirm whether they were exposed to barbiturates.[2] Other sedative agents like benzodiazepines, opioids, alcohols, anticonvulsants, carbon monoxide, sleep aids, and GHB can cause similar symptoms and must be considered in the diagnosis.[6]
References
- Wikipedia, "Barbiturate overdose" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Dictionary of Medical Terms", Bloomsbury Publishing, 2009, p. 37; Weaver, "Prescription Sedative Misuse and Abuse.", The Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine, 3 September 2015, p. 247–56; Marx, "Rosen's emergency medicine : concepts and clinical practice", Elsevier/Saunders, 2014, p. Sedative Hypnotics; Sadock, "Kaplan & Sadock's Concise Textbook of Clinical Psychiatry", Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2008, p. 149 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Barbiturate overdose" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Sadock, "Kaplan & Sadock's Concise Textbook of Clinical Psychiatry", Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2008, p. 149; Sadock, "Kaplan & Sadock's Concise Textbook of Clinical Psychiatry", Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2008, p. 149; Sadock, "Kaplan & Sadock's Concise Textbook of Clinical Psychiatry", Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2008, p. 149; Marx, "Rosen's emergency medicine : concepts and clinical practice", Elsevier/Saunders, 2014, p. Sedative Hypnotics; Baren, "Pediatric Emergency Medicine", Elsevier Health Sciences, 2008, p. 955 en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Barbiturate overdose" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Barbiturate Toxicity: Pathophysiology", eMedicine, 14 January 2017 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Barbiturate overdose" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Marx, "Rosen's emergency medicine : concepts and clinical practice", Elsevier/Saunders, 2014, p. Sedative Hypnotics; Carroll, "Problem-based Physiology", Elsevier Health Sciences, 2010, p. 99; Carroll, "Problem-based Physiology", Elsevier Health Sciences, 2010, p. 99; Roberts, "Enhanced elimination in acute barbiturate poisoning – a systematic review.", Clinical Toxicology, January 2011, p. 2–12; Müller, "Common causes of poisoning: etiology, diagnosis and treatment.", Deutsches Ärzteblatt International, October 2013, p. 690–9; qui en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Barbiturate overdose" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Müller, "Common causes of poisoning: etiology, diagnosis and treatment.", Deutsches Ärzteblatt International, October 2013, p. 690–9; quiz 700 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Barbiturate overdose" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Suddock, "Barbiturate Toxicity", StatPearls, 2020 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Barbiturate overdose (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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