Symptoms of pill poisoning in a child. What to give a child in case of poisoning - a list of remedies. Review of approved medications for childhood intoxication
The baby suddenly began to cry pitifully, pointing to his stomach. Most likely, he ate something wrong. What to do in this situation? Perhaps the reason is . Calm down, you need to figure it out and start acting.
How to determine the presence of food poisoning in a child, how to treat it - what should be given from the funds in home medicine cabinet To help cope with the disease, is it necessary to feed and water a baby with a toxic infection? Let's sort it all out!
How to distinguish from rotavirus
It is very important to know the enemy by sight. Then methods of influence will be available. For these two conditions, completely different therapies are used.
Stomach flu
Cefekon in suppositories is allowed for infants from the first days of life, as well as Nurofen. Both drugs are combined in this way: Paracetamol is given. If it does not help within an hour, then you can safely use Ibuprofen.
If the temperature is above 39 degrees, for children over one year old they resort to the so-called: a quarter of Analgin, Diphenhydramine, Paracetamol is mixed and given to the baby. As a rule, the fever subsides after 20 minutes.
When a child feels relief after poisoning, how many days does the horror of toxic infection last? Usually in mild cases no more than four days. The main thing is not to get confused and get proper treatment.
Doctor Komarovsky's opinion
Food poisoning - emergency care from Dr. Komarovsky:
Parents must remember that in case of poisoning, under no circumstances should they give their child painkillers, dairy products, or soda.
Feed only fresh and high-quality food.The baby needs to be kept on a diet for a few more days after all the symptoms have subsided.. Boil dairy-free porridge, include crackers and strong tea in your diet. A nursing mother should limit her food intake, and buy a lactose-free, hypoallergenic formula for a formula-fed baby.
Protect yourself and children from food poisoning. Be healthy!
In contact with
Especially many poisonings occur in children aged 1 to 3 years - the baby can get to a bottle of medicine forgotten by parents or chemical preparation. However, poisoning also occurs in younger children (the mother overdoses on medication or mistakenly uses some other liquid, such as vodka, vinegar, etc., instead of water or tea). As mentioned above, acute poisoning in children is in fourth place among accidents.
Poisoning often occurs suddenly, develops very quickly and requires immediate attention. medical care, the effectiveness of which depends primarily on how quickly the nature of the toxic agent can be established. In general, everyday situations are so diverse that it is difficult to reduce them to any standard.
Most common drug poisoning. Potent and poisonous medications should be stored in separate cabinets with markings on the doors and locked with a key. When dispensing such medications, precautions are also taken (stamps on prescriptions, the maximum amount of medication allowed for dispensing to one patient, special prescription forms for certain categories of medications). If the drug is prescribed incorrectly, the prescription is returned from the pharmacy to medical institution to discuss this case at a medical conference.
In everyday life, there is often no control over the storage of medicines (some of them should be in the refrigerator), their expiration dates and sorting by degree of toxicity. Medicines are usually stored in bulk in a box or on a shelf. It is very dangerous when there is no name of the drug on the packaging or the tablets and powders are completely scattered without packaging. IN Lately The number of types of medications has sharply increased, and many parents do not even know their effects.
The danger is that clonidine is quickly absorbed, so urgent gastric lavage (calling an ambulance) and hospitalization of the child is necessary.
So, which medications are the most toxic and cause poisoning in children? First of all, these are antihypertensives - medications that lower blood pressure. Among them, clonidine (hemitone) is very notorious. Previously it was sold without a prescription, now it is sold with a prescription on a special form. The drug does not have an unpleasant taste (the tablet tastes sweet). The child becomes lethargic and drowsy. The skin takes on a bluish tint.
Cardiac drugs (cardiac glycosides), digoxin, digitoxin, convallatoxin, etc. are very toxic. Antiepileptic drugs are extremely dangerous. There are a lot of them. Here is a small list: phenobarbital (luminal), finlepsin, depakine, convulex, ecorate, epilim, suxilep. 1-2 tablets of barbiturates (phenobarbital), taken without any harm by adults, can cause severe or even fatal poisoning in a child aged 1 to 3 years. Almost all psychotropic drugs are dangerous - these are sedatives (calming) and sleeping pills. It is almost impossible to list them: radedorm, (berlidorm), reladorm, relanium, tizercin, etc.
These drugs are the most toxic, but a child can also be poisoned by a “harmless” drug, for example, antihistamines (antiallergic) drugs (diphenhydramine, pipolfen, etc.).
Ethyl alcohol (vodka) is often the cause of poisoning: 20-30 ml of vodka can cause small child severe intoxication, and 10-20 ml of alcohol can be fatal.
In the summer, poisoning with bacterial exotoxins, mushrooms and berries is common (poisoning with these substances is classified as food). In addition to food poisoning, children may experience poisoning as a result of bites from poisonous snakes and insects.
If there is a suspicion that a child has swallowed some kind of poison, first of all it is necessary to find out what type of poison it is and urgently call " Ambulance».
If these are caustic substances (acids and alkalis), then you should not give them to drink and you should not try to neutralize them with anything.
To avoid accidental poisoning, take good care of your home first aid kit and keep it out of the reach of children.
In case of drug poisoning, if the child is conscious, give him plenty of water. You can try to induce vomiting by tickling the root of your tongue. If he is unconscious, place him in such a way as to avoid inhaling vomit (tilt his head to the side).
Do not forget that you need to take with you to the hospital samples of the substance that poisoned the child, as well as some of the vomit.
Children can become poisoned out of ignorance or out of curiosity. Unlike an adult, a child is not yet aware of the possibility of poisoning. Young children in particular are known for putting everything they can into their mouths. A cigarette butt can end up in a child's mouth much faster than adults might imagine. Parents need to learn to recognize situations that can lead to poisoning. Firstly, this is important from the point of view of their prevention, and secondly, this way it will be possible to understand that we are talking about poisoning.
Do everything in your power to keep toxic substances away from children. But even then there will still be many possibilities for poisoning, which parents, even if they want, will not be able to prevent.
Symptoms and signs of poisoning
If your child suddenly feels unwell, starts vomiting, or becomes very tired, undetected poisoning may be the cause. When children are visiting, it is easier for them to find medications or other dangerous substances in someone else’s household than at home. Therefore, be vigilant when, for example, you send your child to stay with his grandparents: there he may well find a whole collection of tablets and pills somewhere on the bedside table.
Symptoms indicating poisoning
| Organ system | Symptom | Example |
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| CNS |
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| Eyes |
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| Digestive tract |
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| Leather |
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| The cardiovascular system |
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| Respiratory system |
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Who provides assistance in case of poisoning?
In addition to emergency medical services that help in severe cases, there are also poison treatment centers that can provide advice if needed.
Ambulance Service
In case of acute poisoning, when it is necessary to take the necessary rescue measures as quickly as possible, you need to call an ambulance service. In this case, the emergency doctor, when he arrives at the call site, will immediately begin to carry out the necessary medical measures (for example, in case of poisoning with caustic substances).
Poison Treatment Centers
Poisoning in children can be so varied that professional and, most importantly, individual consultation is often required. In Germany, poison treatment centers have been established at nine different hospitals, providing such consultation services to both doctors and the public. medical education. There you can get information about whether they are poisonous adopted by the child substances, what measures you can take, is it necessary clinical treatment. Don't act rashly!
Fatal or life-threatening poisonings are rare. According to the Berlin Consultation Service for Symptoms of Poisoning and Fetal Toxicology, 87% of all calls received do not pose a real threat to life. In such situations curative measures limited intake of fluids, medical activated carbon or antifoam agent.
In the past, overmedication has resulted in the death of children in a number of cases. The share of incorrect and/or redundant therapeutic measures accounts for one fifth of all child deaths due to poisoning.
Inducing vomiting
It is necessary to induce vomiting in case of poisoning with highly toxic and fast-acting substances. If a child has consumed plants, medications, or other substances that are moderately toxic, it is usually more appropriate to use activated medicinal charcoal to bind toxins and remove them from the body. If in doubt, consult a poison control center. Vomiting is caused by irritation back wall throats with fingers. How fuller stomach, the easier it is to empty it. If necessary, the child should drink a small amount of water to relieve vomiting.
Inducing vomiting is especially suitable in cases of poisoning medicines or parts of plants, but this method is successful only if little time has passed since the moment of poisoning.
Warning: Saline solution can be fatal for young children!
Under no circumstances should you induce vomiting with salted water - the concentrated salt solution can be fatal to young children.
Save the vomit if the poison is unknown and needs to be identified.
Attention: if you lose consciousness, do not induce vomiting!
Do not induce vomiting if you are poisoned by detergents or caustic substances!
If a child swallows dish soap, other cleaning products, or fabric softener, the contractions of the stomach muscles when vomiting may cause foam bubbles to form. Since the foam should never get into the lungs, vomiting should not be caused in this type of poisoning.
The esophagus lacks protection from caustic substances. In case of poisoning with caustic substances, vomiting cannot be caused for a completely different reason: acids and alkalis damage the mucous membrane. The stomach is reliably protected from the effects of acid and alkali by a thick mucous layer, because it itself produces hydrochloric acid. But the esophagus is deprived of such protection, and in case of vomiting it will be subject to repeated irritation. In this case, it is recommended to take liquid to dilute harmful substance. People suffering from heartburn are well aware of how sensitive the esophagus is. With heartburn, complaints occur when gastric juice enters the esophagus. Poisoning from caustic substances is also very painful.
For the same reason, solvents (for example, gasoline, alcohol and kerosene) are dangerous - they also destroy mucous membranes. But these liquids have a strong repulsive odor, so poisoning with them occurs very rarely and, as a rule, moderate severity.
Do not induce vomiting if you are poisoned with oil lamps!
Oils for refilling oil lamps (paraffin oil), produced in different colors and with a variety of odors, in last years became the cause of severe poisoning in children. Lamp oil should never get into your lungs! Therefore, if you are poisoned with llama oil, you should not induce vomiting. There are several known cases of death of young children due to lung damage. When purchasing lamp oil, pay attention to alternative options based on rapeseed oil - it is less dangerous. Also be sure to remember that children can drink oil for oil lamps not only from bottles, but also from the lamps themselves. They may also suck on the lamp wick.
Avoid improper first aid measures for oil poisoning when refilling oil lamps
Dilution with liquid
Diluting the toxic substance with liquid is necessary in case of poisoning with caustic substances, since they cannot be removed from the body through vomiting. Water, tea or diluted juices are best suited for these purposes. Do not give your child too much liquid, otherwise it may cause vomiting.
Milk is not suitable for diluting toxic substances. Previously, it was recommended to use milk to dilute a toxic substance in case of poisoning. Theoretically, this makes sense: milk has buffering properties, that is, it can soften the effects of acids or alkalis. However, milk curdles in the stomach and protein flakes accumulate in the folds of the stomach and intestines. If further treatment requires a colonoscopy, these flakes will impair vision. And in some cases, milk even accelerates the absorption of toxic substances in the intestines. So do not give your child milk when you need to dilute caustic substances.
Also, do not try to neutralize acids or alkalis that your child drinks.
Do not give liquid to your child if he has drunk dishwashing detergent. After consuming foaming substances (dishwashing detergent, etc.), you should not give your child liquid to drink. The more liquid there is inside, the more foam can form. After taking foaming agents, foam is combated with medications such as Sab Simplex or Lefax.
Detoxification with activated medicinal charcoal
Taking medical activated carbon is the safest, fastest and effective method removing toxins from the body. Activated carbon in the form of fine powder is an indispensable remedy for many types of poisoning. Due to its large surface area, activated carbon has the ability to absorb many different substances. This property is especially useful in case of poisoning with drugs or plants. This principle is also used in simple household water filters (carbon filters).
10 grams of activated carbon has a solute-attracting surface area approximately equal to three football fields.
Activated carbon has no contraindications, which means that it is safe and free of side effects, so in case of poisoning, taking activated carbon will never be superfluous. But in the case of children, there is one big “but”: charcoal tablets are relatively large and rough, so it is difficult for children to swallow them. These tablets do not dissolve well in liquid. In addition, the binding of toxins with tableted activated carbon lasts longer, since the tablets do not use very finely ground carbon.
Activated carbon is safe and has no side effects. Therefore, you should purchase activated carbon suitable for poisoning at the pharmacy. Specialists at the Berlin Poison Treatment Center recommend the powdered preparation Kohle Pulvis from the manufacturer Kohler Pharma for these purposes. Even if you have to specially order it, you shouldn’t be content with coal tablets. Kohle Pulvis coal is ground into a powder as fine as the scales on a butterfly's wing, resulting in very fast action. Maximum effect achieved within 90 seconds. This useful jar should be on hand in any home where there are small children. For simple and quick use of the drug, you need to fill the screw-on jar with water or juice. Two lids will ensure that the jar is really tightly closed when shaking.
True, children are unlikely to drink the resulting mixture completely voluntarily. It all depends on the dexterity and dexterity of adults! For example, you can mix activated charcoal with cola, since they are only slightly different in color. In addition, you can somehow rehearse such a situation in a calm atmosphere and get the child drunk apple juice or cola with a small amount of charcoal dissolved in the drink. Then in an emergency you will have fewer problems.
Diarrhea
In case of diarrhea, which often occurs during holidays, activated carbon tablets will help best. As a result of the activity of bacteria and viruses in the gastrointestinal tract, toxic metabolic products are produced, which cause diarrhea. For mild diarrhea, activated charcoal helps stop the diarrhea itself, while the immune system fights pathogens.
Activated carbon tablets should be in every travel first aid kit!
When should you not take medical activated charcoal?
Only in case of poisoning with acids or alkalis, activated carbon will not have any effect. positive effect, and in this case it should not be taken, since during a subsequent gastroscopy everything will be black.
Laxatives
Activated charcoal can cause constipation, but in case of poisoning, you usually need to get the poison out of the body as quickly as possible. An hour after taking activated carbon, you can resort to using laxatives. Buttermilk and lactose have a mild laxative effect. A reliable remedy is sodium sulfate. More detailed information you can get it from poison treatment centers.
The most common types of poisoning
Most common in children following reasons poisonings:
- Medications.
- Tobacco products.
- Cleaners.
- Poisonous plants.
The problem with cigarettes
Are you familiar with the problem with cigarettes? On playgrounds, in the park, on the sidewalk - everywhere you can find cigarettes.
cigarette butts Every smoker knows that cigarette butts are very poisonous to children. Previously, cigarette smoke irritated me the most, but with the advent of children, the real problem became the garbage thoughtlessly thrown away by smokers. Some time ago we were with our one-year-old son in an open-air beer restaurant. We didn’t have any toys with us, so our son started looking for alternative entertainment and started putting cigarette butts he found into his mouth. We grabbed him in our arms and didn’t let him on the ground anymore, but soon the child began to protest so loudly that we had to change tactics. We couldn’t prevent him from coming into contact with cigarettes, but then the next thought came to me: I showed the kid that he could throw cigarette butts into a nearby trash can. I demonstrated how to do this several times and it turned into a fun game. After that, every cigarette butt found ended up in the trash can, and tasting them became uninteresting. The son memorized this game, and if he now finds a cigarette butt somewhere, he immediately throws it in the trash.
By the way, nicotine is not a contact poison, so nothing particularly bad will happen if the child licks his fingers after this.
Signs such as vomiting or sudden fatigue may indicate that a child has been poisoned.
Drug poisoning
The number of cases of children taking various drugs out of curiosity is incredibly high, but most drug poisonings are not dangerous. Contact a poison treatment center for more information.
The likelihood of poisoning also depends on the amount of the drug taken and on its ratio to body weight. Paracelsus also said: “Everything is poison and everything is medicine; both are determined by the dose.” If the child has consumed anything like iodine or fluoride tablets, calcium effervescent tablets, cold medicines, cough syrup, birth control pills, etc., then either no special measures will be required at all, or, as recommended by the treatment centers poisoning, you can give your child activated charcoal.
Quantity plays a decisive role. Medicines that may have consequences serious consequences, usually affect the cardiovascular or nervous system. These include, first of all, heart medications, as well as sleeping pills and sedatives. But the rule also applies here: do not take unnecessary measures! Call a poison control center!
For popular medications that children often swallow, the following dosages are safe.
Poisoning from cleaning products
Dishwashing detergents, cleaning products and laundry detergents form bubbles and foam when ingested. Since foam bubbles during poisoning can easily enter the lungs and, depending on their type and quantity, cause damage there varying degrees heaviness, you need to start by eliminating the foam. Sab Simplex is a silicone compound that effectively destroys foam bubbles by reducing surface tension. This silicone compound passes through the body without being absorbed, which is why Sab Simplex, like activated charcoal, has no side effects. But unlike activated charcoal, children readily take Sab Simplex due to its raspberry flavor. Sab Simplex should definitely be in your home medicine cabinet if there are small children in the family who can be poisoned by foaming substances. Lefax contains the same active ingredient1 as Sab Simplex and is just as effective. Both of these drugs have also been used successfully to treat bloating in infants. Perhaps some of these remedies are already in your medicine cabinet?
Sab Simplex and Lefax destroy bubbles and foam in case of poisoning from cleaning products.
Dosage Sab Simple lex/Lefax. At acute poisoning You can take from half to a whole bottle.
If you are poisoned by cleaning products, do not drink them with liquid or induce vomiting. The foaming agents themselves are relatively non-toxic and will not cause any damage. special harm. There is no urgent need to remove them from the body. Moreover, when trying to cleanse the stomach through vomiting, the foam formation process will intensify, and there will be a serious danger that when vomiting, foam will get into the lungs. Trying to dilute the ingested product with liquid will also increase the formation of foam, so it should not be washed down!
Dry bread
If you don't have it on hand special means To eliminate foaming, you can give your child a piece of dry white bread. This will not have an anti-foaming effect, but will help collect any remaining detergent in your mouth.
Plant poisoning
Are poinsettias poisonous? Everyone is familiar with the colorful poinsettias (spurge spurge, "Christmas star") with fiery red, pink or white leaves. This plant produces a white milky sap, characteristic of plants of the Euphorbiaceae family. But decorative varieties of poinsettia do not contain highly toxic substances. Their milky juice has only a slight irritant effect on gastrointestinal tract, if you eat more than one or two leaves. However, poinsettias are very toxic to pets.
Rowan is not poisonous! There are persistent rumors about the toxicity of mountain ash. Usually these beliefs are instilled by grandparents. Poison treatment centers have long denied these rumors. Rowan is not poisonous! In fact, raw berries can cause stomach pain, but this does not mean that they are poisonous. You can even make jam from rowan berries. There are plants that can cause irritation to the skin or mucous membranes (for example, Dieffenbachia). Since we are talking about usually harmless decorative forms, you can conduct a test yourself: bite a leaf of a plant. If within 10 minutes you feel only minor irritation on your tongue and lips without noticeable swelling, then you can safely leave the plant at home.
Many poisonous plants, their parts and fruits are unpleasant to the taste, so small children quickly spit them out. Usually the amount of toxic substances taken is small, so signs of poisoning are limited mainly to nausea or mild vomiting. Only one in seventy plant poisonings results in noticeable or severe symptoms of poisoning. Fortunately, cases fatal outcome after poisoning poisonous plants or plant parts are very rare.
It is believed that a child can eat one berry of any local plant without harmful consequences. Keep in mind that it is the berries that evoke the strongest desire to taste them.
Poisonous and non-toxic substances in the household
When in doubt, always contact a poison control center! There you can get individual advice. The list below provides a brief overview of the substances used in household that children may swallow.
Gas poisoning
Smoke poisoning
Fires produce various flue gases. Burning plastic can even release toxic cyanide compounds.
Keep yourself and children away from any type of fire. The fire brigade and emergency medical services treat smoke inhalation cases on site to keep lung damage to a minimum. The seriousness of flue gas poisoning is often underestimated. Do not approach burning buildings or other accident sites under any circumstances - even at a “safe” distance. The work of the fire brigade is, of course, interesting to watch, especially for children, but smoke gases can irritate the lungs.
Tear gas
Lilac tear gas is used as a "distance agent" in self-defense or demonstrations. In recent years, it has also become a popular "toy" for older children, and cases of its use in classrooms or in the schoolyard.
Chemical warfare agent in the bathroom
Never mix household detergents (especially chlorine-based ones) with other cleaning products. This can release dangerous gases, primarily chlorine gas. Chlorine gas is poisonous and smells like a swimming pool. First world war this gas was used as a chemical warfare agent.
Tear gas irritates the eyes, causing watery eyes and impairing vision. Direct spray into eyes may cause eye damage. In this case, it is necessary to rinse your eyes with water for at least 20 minutes. After this, you should contact an ophthalmologist or hospital. If coughing or difficulty breathing occurs, medical intervention is also necessary.
Buy the right household chemicals
The German chain of household goods stores "dm" sells household chemicals under its own brand Denkmit. These products contain a proprietary bittering agent called Bitrex, which prevents children from ingesting large quantities of the cleaner. Bitrex is extremely bitter. You can try it for yourself: the residue of Bitrex on your fingers will show you how bitter and therefore effective this supplement is.
What can you do in case of poisoning?
There are a number of measures that you can take on your own in case of poisoning. But the choice of the necessary measure depends on the type of poisoning. So, for example, in case of poisoning with sleeping pills, you should induce vomiting to clear the stomach, but if the poisoning is caused by foaming agents or oil for oil lamps, then this can, on the contrary, be harmful. So take your time and think about the variety of possible poisonings. The information below will give you a general idea of the countermeasures required in a given case.
According to emergency medical services statistics, the largest number of drug poisonings in children occurs in the winter and cold seasons. There are several reasons for this. First of all, children get sick more often, which means their parents treat them more often; in addition, children spend more time at home in winter, which means they have more opportunities to play hospital and doctor, treating themselves with familiar medications that are within their reach.
Remember, a child can be poisoned even by seemingly safe vitamins; parents give their children heavy doses of ascorbic acid tablets, not realizing all the harm from these drugs. They give the baby 2-3 multivitamins to strengthen the immune system, thereby only harming, not helping. And how many problems arise from forgetful grandparents who leave their pills on the bedside tables, table or in other places accessible to the child! However, in adults, drugs are usually serious, especially those used for blood pressure and to treat heart disease. They can become deadly. But, most poisonings in children occur due to parental negligence in the treatment of common colds and runny noses.
There are different types of poisoning.
It is impossible to say which medications may be the most dangerous for children. The fact is that in case of poisoning, much depends on the type of medicine, its dosage form - tablets, syrups, solutions, and on the amount of the drug taken. Almost all drugs that are not prescribed to a child by a doctor pose a threat to life. And even medications prescribed by a doctor can become dangerous if they are not taken according to the rules, or if the dosage or frequency of administration is violated. The more pleasant the tablet is to the baby’s eye, the sweeter its shell tastes, the more delicious the syrup smells, the higher the chances that the baby will eat or drink it. Even vitamins must be strictly dosed and given by the mother to the baby, and then stored under lock and key!
What's heavier?
Symptoms of drug poisoning are usually nonspecific, manifesting either depression or agitation nervous system, manifestations of digestion and changes in the blood. Everything will depend on the specific active ingredient. But in general, one way or another, digestion and the nervous system always suffer.
Under equal conditions, tablets are more dangerous than syrups, since if a child gets into a medicine cabinet, they usually taste one syrup, but tablets, due to their variety, taste all or most of them, especially if they have bright shells and are not bitter in taste . In this case, the severity of the condition is affected not only by the active substance of one tablet, but by the mutual effect of several drugs, sometimes mutually reinforcing each other. If you suspect that your child has eaten several tablets from the medicine cabinet, you should not sit and hope for a miracle, or wash out the stomach yourself - immediately call a doctor and take your child to a toxicology department.
Children's syrups or flavored syrups for adults are also dangerous. The pleasant taste and smell can make your baby take a sip or even drink the entire bottle of medicine. If it is syrup with iron supplements, it can be very dangerous in terms of the development of irreversible breathing problems, and if it is cough syrup with codeine - even worse, there may be a sharp depression of the respiratory center.
What to do?
Naturally, you cannot leave products from your home medicine cabinet in a visible place or in cabinets or boxes accessible to your baby. But, if trouble has already happened and you have well-founded suspicions about it. If the child drank something, what should I do then? There is a certain algorithm of actions required at the first signs of poisoning, which must be followed so as not to cause panic and help the baby.
1. First of all, immediately call an ambulance, even if it was 1-2 tablets, the child’s body’s reaction to adult drugs is unpredictable. It is better to make sure that everything is in order and get a scolding from household members for leaving medications unattended, than to start the process until the moment when medicine is powerless.
2. Before the ambulance arrives, give the child plenty to drink - ideally it should be cool boiled water and a volume of up to 1-2 liters, but if this is not available, tap water will do. It is important to dilute the concentration of the medication and induce vomiting in order to flush out any remaining medication that has not yet been absorbed from the stomach. Vomiting can be induced with your fingers or a spoon by pressing on the root of the tongue. If a child loses consciousness, vomiting should not be induced.
3. After gastric lavage, the child needs any sorbent - activated carbon, enterosgel, smecta, which is available at home. They are dissolved in water and given to the baby to drink. If there is not a single sorbent, run to the refrigerator, beat the egg whites into a strong foam and let them drink.
4. In case of poisoning, you should not give milk to a child or feed him; this will help the medicine be absorbed into the blood faster and more actively. Additionally, you can give your child an enema, especially if he took the medicine a few hours ago.
Attention, even if there are no signs of poisoning, and you don’t have enough tablets, or they are scattered on the floor, and the baby says that he ate them, you still need an ambulance and methods of examination and treatment. The medicine just might not have worked yet.
Rating of dangerous drugs.
Naturally, all medications that are not intended for him and are not prescribed will be dangerous for the baby. But, among the many drugs, there are the most dangerous drugs that absolutely should not enter the baby’s body. In terms of danger, the following are in first place:
- antiarrhythmic drugs cardiac glycosides and blood pressure medications,
- drugs from the group of antidepressants and barbiturates (including phenobarbital for the treatment of jaundice),
- preparations containing minerals – potassium, calcium, iron,
- psychotropic substances, hypnotics, neurological drugs.
- anticonvulsants and sedatives.
Now I want to talk about some special types of poisoning.
Poisoning with cold remedies.
This type of poisoning in children is encountered in almost every emergency room, and almost regularly. This is a completely man-made poisoning of children by their own parents. Moreover, it occurs when concentrations are slightly exceeded, is poorly recognized and very dangerous. Children can be poisoned by such drugs as naphthyzine and its derivatives (in the form of sanorin, galazolin, rhinazoline or naphazoline), and they can also be poisoned by other derivatives - oxymetazoline and others, especially in drops and sprays that are not appropriate for their age.
Why is the remedy for the common cold so dangerous? If the dosage is exceeded, and this can be done, since the medicine is produced in plastic dropper bottles, the drug penetrates through a special barrier - the blood-brain barrier, into the area of the nervous system. This group of drugs are alpha adrenometic agents, that is, they simulate the parts of the brain responsible for inhibiting all processes. This also affects blood vessels and a sharp decline blood pressure, decreased cardiac output and slowed heart rate.
Most often, such poisoning occurs in children under three years of age, since they most often need to take drugs of this kind for a runny nose. Naphthyzin in children (and its other analogues) is used in a concentration of 0.05% and no more than 1-2 drops of solution are needed for each nasal turbinate. This constricts blood vessels and eliminates the symptoms of a runny nose, making breathing easier. Naphthyzin and its derivatives should not be used more than once every 8 hours. Moreover, even at such a dose, symptoms of mild depression of the nervous system may occur, which occurs within an hour of use. The medicine is removed from the body within 5-10 hours.
With a mild degree of poisoning, lethargy and weakness appear, the child turns pale, his appetite decreases, if you count the heartbeats, there will be a decrease in them, the pressure decreases slightly. With moderate severity of manifestations, severe drowsiness with severe pallor, refusal to breastfeed or eat, complete apathy, a sharp decrease in pressure and a decrease in heart rate, a decrease in body temperature. There may be a sharp constriction of the pupils, but they react to light. In case of severe poisoning, consciousness may be impaired to the point of coma, the skin becomes pale, cold to the touch, the heartbeat is sharply slowed down, and the blood pressure is reduced to a critical level.
Such manifestations require immediate medical attention and hospital treatment. And by the way, such cases are not uncommon, and naphthyzine poisoning is mistaken for manifestations of the disease. Stubbornly continuing to drip drops into the baby’s nose and adding new portions of medicine to the severity of the condition. What is necessary is to completely stop taking it. But what to do if such poisoning is suspected? We'll talk about this tomorrow.
Drug poisoning, what to do?
Drug poisoning occurs in children of different ages, but this happens especially often with preschool children. Restless toddlers cannot indifferently pass by bright tablets and capsules that imprudent adults leave in an accessible place. Poisoning children with drugs always requires radical methods help.
Signs of drug poisoning
If a child has taken an excessive dose of a drug, it does not matter whether symptoms appear immediately or over time. A number of drugs do not cause reactions immediately after an overdose; symptoms appear later. The baby must be taken to the hospital as soon as it is noticed that he has swallowed medications.
The doctor must show the packaging of the medicine - this will allow him to quickly decide on the treatment method.
Despite the large number medical supplies, By clinical manifestation one can judge the nature of the poisoning. The main symptoms are:
- change in facial expression – uncontrollable facial twitching of muscles;
- changes in the skin and mucous membranes;
- coma;
- delusions, hallucinations;
- convulsions;
- muscle spasms;
- lack of coordination;
- change in pupil size;
- blurred vision;
- heartbeat disorder;
- a sharp decrease or increase in blood pressure;
- increased salivation;
- vomiting with or without blood;
- loose stool;
- change in urine color.
In case of drug poisoning, you need to act quickly. You can determine that the baby has eaten too much medicine by the characteristic signs - there is an open container of medicine in the room, and the baby is dirty with the remains of medicine.
Stages of poisoning
Highlighted by doctors three stages general condition children with drug poisoning: 
- Mild degree - consciousness is confused, the child falls into deep dream, the pupils become smaller and do not respond to light, the eyes twitch involuntarily, and coordination is impaired.
- Average degree - above all mild symptoms stages, reflexes - swallowing and coughing - are impaired. Acute begins renal failure. The baby falls into a superficial coma.
- Severe degree - the baby does not react to pain at all, all reflexes are completely absent. Breathing may be shallow or completely absent. The pressure drops significantly, tachycardia develops. The temperature may rise or fall relative to normal indicators. The child falls into a comatose state.
Causes of drug overdose
There are several reasons why a child may have drug intoxication:
- storing medications in places accessible to children;
- incorrect dosage of medications;
- Attempting suicide is relevant for adolescence.
First aid
First aid for poisoning medications consists of a number of actions, the second are described below: 
- If the child is unconscious, without signs of life, perform respiratory-pulmonary resuscitation.
- The baby must be placed on his side– this prevents vomit from entering the Airways and tongue retraction.
- Vomiting is artificially induced if the baby is conscious for more than half an hour. If about an hour has passed since the moment of poisoning, then there is no point in inducing vomiting!
- If more than an hour has passed since the poisoning, you need to give the patient a laxative or rinse the intestines with an enema.
Colon lavage is performed with water only room temperature. Otherwise, toxins will be more absorbed into the bloodstream.
- After gastric lavage and vomiting, give any sorbents that are available at home. This may be the familiar activated carbon.
- After taking sorbents, you can give cool, clean water.
While one of the adults begins to provide emergency assistance, the second one must call a doctor. His future health depends on how quickly the little patient is taken to the hospital.
Medicines that most often cause poisoning in children
You can be poisoned by any medicine, but doctors identify a group of drugs that children are poisoned with most often.
- Contraceptives hormonal drugs– poisoning birth control pills in children in medical practice occurs all the time, first aid consists of rinsing the stomach with plenty of water and taking activated charcoal.
You cannot drink mineral carbonated water to your baby!
Any medicine from this list helps with certain diseases, but only in the dosage prescribed by the doctor. Uncontrolled use of all medications leads to serious consequences.
Consequences of drug poisoning in children
Poisoning children with drugs does not always have health consequences. If quantity medications taken was small and the help turned out to be prompt, then often this unpleasant incident is simply forgotten. However, if the child took a lot of medicine and help was not provided on time, then the following troubles may occur:
- damage to the nervous system, frequent seizures and confusion;
- scars on the stomach and stomach bleeding– mainly caused by a group of iron-containing drugs;
- persistent allergic reactions;
- chronic jaundice;
- disruption of the urinary system.
How to prevent drug poisoning in children
- Before starting a course of treatment, parents should consult a doctor and carefully read the instructions for the drug.
- Do not give your baby medicines that have expired.
- If old medications are disposed of, it is done so that children cannot take them.
- All medications are stored out of the reach of children and in their original packaging.
- You cannot call medications by names that are attractive to your baby, such as jam or honey.
- Children should not be given medications in adult dosages.
In general, it is advisable for parents not to take their medications in front of their children; children love to copy and repeat everything after adults.
Food poisoning is an acute infectious-toxic damage to the body that occurs when consuming low-quality products, plant and other poisons. To the immature children's body it is more difficult to deal with toxins and bacteria than as an adult. Parents should know what to give their child if they are poisoned.
Causes of childhood poisoning
The cause of childhood poisoning lies in the use of:
- expired food products;
- plant poisons (poisonous plants and mushrooms);
- chemical substances;
- medications.
The foods that are easiest to poison are:
- milk, cottage cheese, ice cream, yoghurts and other dairy products;
- confectionery;
- Fish and seafood;
- mushrooms;
- raw eggs.
There are frequent cases of poisoning by fly agaric and toadstool. Poisonous mushrooms contain toxins that cause food intoxication and damage the central nervous system. Even one piece of toadstool can be fatal.
Symptoms
Before starting treatment for poisoning, you need to study the developmental features pathological process. Once in the gastrointestinal tract, pathogenic bacteria begin to multiply rapidly. During their life, toxins are formed that settle on the walls of the intestines and stomach. Over time, bacteria that have entered the body die and are destroyed, causing even greater poisoning. When toxic substances enter the blood, general intoxication develops.
You can tell if your child is sick by the following symptoms:
- disorders of the gastrointestinal tract (abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, increased gas formation);
- headache;
- increased body temperature;
- increased heart rate and breathing;
- joint and muscle pain.
Initially, nausea, repeated vomiting, and stomach pain appear. Loose stools containing blood or mucus appear. The child often asks to go to the toilet (up to 5–10 times a day). Intoxication gradually increases. Body temperature rises to 38–39 °C, the child becomes lethargic, refuses to eat, and complains of headache and muscle pain. Due to dehydration, facial features become sharper, the skin becomes dry and pale, and blood pressure decreases. Hemodynamic disorders, convulsions, disturbances may occur. acid-base balance, decrease in the volume of urine excreted.
In severe cases, the development of necrotic enteritis, sepsis, endocarditis, hypovolemic or infectious-toxic shock is possible. Such symptoms are rare and occur in weakened and premature children, patients with malnutrition and other developmental features (care for such children should be especially careful).
Poisoning with poisonous plants and mushrooms is fraught with damage to the central nervous system and the appearance of corresponding symptoms. Children may experience hallucinations, speech disorders, vision problems, seizures, euphoria, lethargy, and even coma.
When the heart and blood vessels are damaged, blood pressure decreases and arrhythmia, bradycardia or tachycardia develops.
Poisoning with the following mushrooms is especially dangerous:
- Fly agaric. Contains poisons vomiting, shortness of breath, hallucinations, increased salivation, bronchospasm, convulsions. The probability of dying from fly agaric poisoning is 1%.
- Death cap. It contains toxins that cause uncontrollable vomiting, diarrhea, cramps, intestinal colic, respiratory dysfunction. Possible development of toxic hepatitis and acute liver failure. In 90% of cases, poisoning with toadstool is fatal.
Restoration of the intestines and gastric glands takes time. Symptoms of intoxication are observed for several days, after which they gradually disappear. The weakness that lasts the longest is caused by dehydration and poison entering the body.
Antiemetic drugs and sorbents for poisoning
To treat poisoning in children and adults, sorbents are used - medications designed to remove toxins from the body. Before giving a child this or that sorbent, you need to read the instructions for use. You can find out at what age the drug can be used in the sections “Contraindications” and “Use in childhood" If possible, you should consult a doctor.
Young children are allowed to take the following medications:
- Activated carbon.
- Smecta.
- Polysorb.
- Enterosgel.
- Polyphepan.
Activated carbon and Smecta are suitable even for babies. They are used for symptomatic treatment diseases, gastrointestinal disorders. Smecta copes even with complex diarrhea that does not go away for 4 or more hours. The active components of the drug envelop the walls of the intestinal tract, preventing their further irritation. If poisoning is caused by taking or overdosing on medications, you can give your child Polysorb or Enterosgel.
To prevent toxins from entering the bloodstream, sorbents should be given when the first signs of poisoning appear. When using such drugs, you need to drink a lot of fluid, because the drugs cause even greater dehydration of the body.
- Cerucal.
- Motilium.
- Domperidone.
- Bromopride.
- Riabal.
- Atropine sulfate.
You should not give the listed funds before the doctors arrive. During diagnosis, the patient’s condition, volume and nature of vomit are studied.
Antiemetic medications are intended to treat vomiting symptomatically, but do not address the underlying cause. The mechanism of action of the drugs is based on blocking the central receptors responsible for the gag reflex, so it is not always possible to avoid the development of side effects. A child taking antiemetics may experience dizziness, drowsiness, and changes in heart rate, breathing and vision problems.
What to do if diarrhea occurs?
If a child has diarrhea, it is necessary to replace fluid loss. Electrolyte solutions - Regidron - are suitable. The powder is diluted in cold boiled water and given to the child 50–100 ml every 3–5 minutes. Portions should be small, because consumption large quantity liquid may cause vomiting.
The parents' task is to closely monitor the child's condition. If lethargy, vomiting, skin rashes, blood and mucus appear in the stool you need to call a doctor. If you need immediate advice, you should call 911 and ask the person on duty to connect you to a poison control center.
Are antibiotics needed?
Antibiotics are rarely prescribed for poisoning in children. Indications for taking antibacterial drugs:
- campylobacteriosis;
- Klebsiella infection;
- poisoning caused by Proteus;
- cytobacteriosis and escherichiosis.
Before prescribing an antibiotic, the doctor must determine the causative agent - this will help select suitable medicine. Accept antibacterial agents Prohibited on an empty stomach. There are medications that need to be taken before meals.
When treating children with antibiotics, the following recommendations should be followed:
- take into account the doctor’s recommendations regarding dosages and duration of therapy;
- take the tablets only with water;
- during and/or after antibiotic therapy, take probiotics (medicines for the treatment of dysbiosis).
Taking the medication must be agreed with your doctor. Before giving the drug to a child, you need to read the instructions and study possible side effects, make sure there are no contraindications.
How to lower the temperature?
Help for a child with fever is provided with medications. It is not recommended to give antipyretics to children under 1 year of age, so if the temperature rises, you should call an ambulance. Ibuprofen, Paracetamol and other medications with similar composition are suitable for treating patients 12 months and older. Aspirin and Analgin are rarely given to children - the drugs have a negative effect on the child’s fragile body.
You can reduce your temperature with medication in the following cases:
- difficulty breathing, choking, or respiratory failure;
- severe loss of fluid;
- temperature from 39 °C and above;
- convulsions previously observed at elevated temperatures.
If the temperature does not exceed 38.5–39 °C, there is no need to bring it down. During hyperthermia, the body produces interferon to help fight the infection. To alleviate the patient’s condition, you can give cranberry juices, green tea with honey and other harmless drinks. Increased fluid intake will speed up the elimination of toxins and provide fast recovery body.
Diet features
The diet for food poisoning depends on the age of the child. Children who are on breastfeeding, you should give fermented milk mixtures with rice water(no earlier than 8–12 hours after poisoning). Other patients can be fed porridge, egg yolks, vegetable and fruit purees, and soups. Food should be ground in order to relieve as much as possible digestive tract and allow him to recover from the intoxication he suffered.
The diet for poisoning should be gentle. It is necessary to avoid fatty and fried foods, raw vegetables and fruits, bakery and confectionery products. Food should be healthy, cooked in a slow cooker or steamed. It is allowed to eat bread or loaf dried in a toaster or oven.
You can feed your baby up to 8 times a day. Portions should be small. If a child does not want to eat, you should not force it: when the body begins to recover, the appetite will appear automatically.
Complications of food poisoning
Food poisoning in children almost never goes away without leaving a trace. Intoxication can lead to the development of the following pathologies:
- dysbacteriosis;
- chronic inflammatory bowel diseases;
- stomach ulcer;
- arterial hypertension;
- chronic gastritis;
- renal and liver failure;
- food allergies;
- diabetes;
- obesity;
- increased nervous excitability.
If the symptoms of poisoning have subsided, but the child continues to complain of bad feeling, you need to see a doctor. For stomach pain, gastroscopy is performed - instrumental method studies to assess the condition of the organ. It is possible to conduct other diagnostic measures necessary for making a diagnosis and choosing an appropriate treatment method.
Prevention
To protect your child from poisoning, you must:
- to boil water;
- wash vegetables and fruits thoroughly, rinse them with boiling water;
- keep the kitchen clean;
- give up ready meals sold in supermarkets;
- throw away expired food and medicines;
- keep household chemicals and medicines in inaccessible places;
- Do not give mushrooms to children under 5 years of age;
- Be careful when swimming in open water;
- teach your child to wash their hands (after a walk, going to the toilet, playing with pets, before eating).
Children should not pick mushrooms and berries on their own. It is necessary to explain to the child that forest products can be dangerous to life and health - this will help prevent accidental poisoning.