An antidote is an agent that cancels the effect of another substance in the patient’s body. Most often, antidotes are used in the treatment of poisoning.
What is an antidote?
Poisons, as well as chemical substances that are harmful to the human body in high doses, require treatment. In some cases, there is no suitable antidote, so the only option is to observe the patient, treat symptomatically, and intervene if possible when life-threatening or very unpleasant symptoms of poisoning appear. Better, however, is treatment with the appropriate antidote. An antidote cancels the effect of the toxicant, using a variety of mechanisms. Some antidotes dock onto the toxins in the patient’s body, thereby rendering them harmless in their toxic effect, since they can now no longer exert it. Others break down the toxin so that only the antidote remains in the body. While an antidote is not toxic to the patient, it is often not completely harmless either. So although it cancels out the much more dangerous poisoning, the administration of an antidote may well cause side effects and symptoms itself.
Pharmacological effects on the body and organs
A toxic substance blocks important functions of the body, which is why it is so dangerous to the human organism in the first place. For example, they impede the respiratory muscles, shut down digestion, or disrupt the healthy function of the heart muscle. Some poisonings are merely unpleasant, but the body usually copes with them on its own – others are actually life-threatening because they affect vital organs and processes in the body. An antidote produces very similar effects, but on the toxic substance and no longer on the patient. In this way, the antidote eliminates the toxic effect of the chemical substance first ingested over time. This happens, for example, by the antidote enzymatically catalyzing or docking with the toxic substance and thus blocking chemical processes so that the toxic substance no longer has a toxic effect and can simply be excreted or broken down by the body. The patient’s poisoning is thus terminated with a sufficiently high amount of an antidote. However, depending on the antidote, physical functions may be attacked by the antidote as a side effect. As a result, the patient suffers further symptoms due to the treatment of poisoning or overdose of a drug, which, however, are accepted by the physician in order to treat the far more dangerous poisoning. When treating poisoning, such as from snakebites, alcohol, or other chemical substances, patients may experience side effects such as nausea, vomiting, headaches, or pain in affected organs. Common side effects of treating overdoses of certain medications with the appropriate antidote can be psychological. These include nervousness, anxiety, or panic attacks. Each antidote is itself a potent chemical with pharmacological activity. This, in turn, means that treatment of poisoning need not be symptom-free.
Medical application and use for treatment and prevention.
There are, broadly divided, two uses for antidotes: poisoning and overdoses. Poisoning refers to the absorption of a substance into the body that damages, impedes, or completely suspends its essential functions. This can then be life-threatening for the patient if a poison attacks vital organs. An overdose, on the other hand, is when the patient has ingested excessive amounts of a substance that is not dangerous in itself. It can be an overdose of sleeping pills, psychotropic drugs, or even far less dangerous substances such as over-the-counter tablets. The antidote is usually administered intravenously to the patient so that it can quickly enter the bloodstream and break down the toxin as quickly as possible before the patient suffers further harm. Antidotes are not usually administered as a preventive measure, as the patient should rather try to avoid poisoning or overdose. Exceptions may exist if the patient is receiving a drug that cures his or her underlying disease but may also be partially toxic. In these cases, the antidote is sometimes administered at the same time as the drug to achieve as much benefit and as little harm as possible.For example, if it is known that the patient may develop diarrhea, activated charcoal can be administered at the same time as a preventive antidote to avoid diarrhea as much as possible.
Risks and side effects
Poisons are highly potent substances that can cause great harm. It is therefore not too surprising that the antidote in question is also highly potent. Almost every antidote itself has the potential to be toxic at too high a dose, so it should be used judiciously and after weighing the risks and benefits. Thus, if an antidote is used at too high a dose, there is a risk that it will itself exhibit toxic effects. The patient would have to be treated again. With any antidote, there are also a number of side effects that depend on the exact mechanism of action of the substance as well as its dose. Some antidotes go virtually unnoticed as long as they are given at low doses and this is sufficient for treatment. Those that act on internal organs may cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and pain. Antidotes to psychopharmacologic agents are more likely to trigger psychological side effects such as anxiety or panic attacks. However, the exact side effects vary from antidote to antidote, and the patient is told about them before treatment-or when he or she is responsive.
