Signs and Symptoms – Symptoms of toxicity are those of morphine and alcohol, such as nausea, vomiting, miosis, cool and clammy skin, respiratory and CNS depression, bradycardia, hypotension, and skeletal muscle flaccidity. Noncardiogenic pulmonary edema may develop after opioid overdose and monitoring of heart filling pressure may be helpful. Ethanol has been demonstrated to cause hypoglycemia in children or adults with limited glycogen stores. In severe overdosage, apnea, circulatory collapse, cardiac arrest, and death may occur.
Treatment – To obtain up-to-date information about the treatment of overdose, a good resource is your certified Regional Poison Control Center. Telephone numbers of certified poison control centers are listed in the
Physicians’ Desk Reference (PDR). In managing overdosage, consider the possibility of multiple drug overdoses, interaction among drugs, and unusual drug kinetics in your patient.
Initial management of opioid overdose should emphasize establishment of a secure airway and support of ventilation and perfusion. Meticulously monitor and maintain, within acceptable limits, the patient’s vital signs, blood gases, serum electrolytes, blood glucose, etc. Naloxone antagonizes most effects of opioids. Protect the airway as naloxone may induce vomiting. Since naloxone has a shorter duration of action than opioids, repeated doses may be needed. In patients who abuse opioids chronically, a withdrawal syndrome may be manifest on administration of naloxone. This may include yawning, tearing, restlessness, sweating, dilated pupils, piloerection, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps. This syndrome usually abates quickly as the effect of naloxone dissipates.
Absorption of drugs from the gastrointestinal tract may be decreased by giving activated charcoal, which, in many cases, is more effective than emesis or lavage; consider charcoal instead of or in addition to gastric emptying. Repeated doses of charcoal over time may hasten elimination of some drugs that have been absorbed. Since opium tincture can delay gastric emptying, evacuation of the stomach may be beneficial. Safeguard the patient’s airway when employing gastric emptying or charcoal. Monitor for and treat hypoglycemia.
The use of forced diuresis, peritoneal dialysis, hemodialysis or charcoal hemoperfusion has not been established to be beneficial.
