---- Overdose

java · Consumer

This was posted at WD and I though iit would be good to place here........java

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methadist
Starting Dreamer

Posted - Feb 15 2005 : 11:11:20 PM

methedrine intoxication occurs when the body is presented with an overwhelming amount of the drug and can easily occur due to the unpredictable potency of clandestinlely produced product. It is much more common as the result of direct routes of administration such as Intra-Venous or Smoking

HOW MUCH IS TOO MUCH?
It is impossible to quantify what comprises a toxic dose because each person has a different sensitivity to a specific amount of ----. A toxic level in one person may not be a toxic dose in another. The definition of a lethal dose of ---- may also be complicated by other drugs the user may have taken or by diseases that the person may have developed either as a complication of chronic use or of other causes. Unlike other drug intoxications, ---- intoxication gives no immediate signs to its user.

An overdose is characterized by a rapid onset of physiological deterioration, which can lead to heart attack or stroke and in some cases - death. Severity of signs and symptoms indicate how an overdose has progressed or is progressing.

SIGNS & SYMPTOMS
1. High Body Temperature - =/>100? F
2. Profuse Sweating - regardless of ambient temperature.
3. Rapid Breathing - shallow & audible
4. Dilated Pupils - to the point where eyecolor is impossible to discern.

WHAT TO DO
1. Call EMS
2. Drink water (proportionate to sweating)
3. Place the victim in a bathtub and fill with Cold Water and Ice
4. Tell EMS Techs that the victim has used amphetamines (your failure to do so could cost the individual their life!)

PHYSIOLOGY OF A ---- OVERDOSE
The presented symptoms are all associated with over-stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) It is this system that accelerates the heart rate, constricts the blood vessels, and raises blood pressure. ---- acts specifically on the SNS causing increased release of the neurotransmitter norepinephrine and allowing it to remain active by decreasing its uptake.

As the heart beats faster, more energy is needed for the body to accommodate the extra workload the heart is producing. As the body uses the energy for bodily functions, some energy is also released as heat in the form of sweat as well as a cooling mechanism, thus explaining why profuse sweating happens in an overdose. At a certain point, the fluids needed to produce the sweat deplete, causing dehydration. Because the body doesn't have an effective way to release the heat, the heat accumulates and produces a rise in body temperature.

The hyperthermia, together with muscle-twitching, lead to muscle breakdown. The byproducts from this breakdown, proteins, then overload the kidneys. Kidney failure may also be related to high blood pressure and vascular constriction. These cause a decrease in oxygenated blood to the kidneys resulting in tissue and cell death with the organ.

Cardiovascular collapse is also caused by constriction of blood vessels. A decrease in blood flow also leads to tissue and cell death of the heart. And with the diminished efficiency of the heart, the heart's output slowly deteriorates, eventually collapsing.

HOW A ---- OVERDOSE CAN PROCEEDS TO DEATH
Fatal ---- overdoses, while rare, have several detrimental prognoses in common. They usually result in direct toxic effects, followed by multiple organ failure. Death from a ---- overdose is associated with the rapid onset of kidney failure and with the circulatory system collapsing.

A large percentage of patients who die usually have symptoms of coma, shock, inability to pass and secrete urine, and muscle twitching,

ADDITIONAL WARNING SIGNS
Other complications associated with ---- intoxication include, pulmonary edema, hypoglycemia, intracerebral hemorrhage, hyperthermia, hypertension, confusion, delerium and hyperactivity

MistaMiyagi · Dream Team

Java,

Wonderful and sound writeup on the pathophysiology of ---- overdose.

As noted, the main effect of ---- overdose is dehydration. Two quick tests for dehydration (if the user is not aware himself!) are:

Thick, stringy mucus in the mouth or at the corners of the lips.
Pinching a fold of skin between the thumb and forefinger, just beneath the collarbone. It should not be a fatty fold but rather where the skin is loose. If the skin stays "tented" for longer than a second or two, it's time to get more water. Tenting for longer than three seconds is omnious and signals the onset of severe dehydration.

The best remedy for dehydration is pure water. Sports drinks that are slightly hypotonic (Gatorade, Powerade, etc.) are almost as good. Nothing caffeinated or alcoholic should be ingested by a dehydrated individual, as it only worsens the water loss.

Of course, severe overdose or dehydration leads to cardiac irregularities, then to cardiac arrest. At that point, CPR is the only practical assistance and the only permanent remedy is medical treatment.

It is of note that automated defibrillators have been available in the US for some months now. The cost is still prohibitive for every chemfreak to own one, but this isn't a call for everyone to get one. Just know they are available to the general public

Thanks again, java!

MM