In most cases, sleeping pill poisoning is deliberately induced by the patient. Early medical action can be life-saving.
What is sleeping pill poisoning?
In medicine, we speak of sleeping pill poisoning when there is an excessive amount of drugs with sleep-promoting or sedative effects in the organism of an affected person. Such drugs can have a toxic (poisoning) effect in the event of an overdose. In most cases, overdosed medications that can lead to sleep-induced poisoning are deliberately ingested by affected individuals. In doing so, such persons often pursue the intention of committing suicide (suicide). Only mild sleeping pill poisoning can be expressed, for example, by slackening of the muscles, unsteady gait and/or drowsiness. Possible symptoms of severe sleeping pill poisoning include a drop in blood pressure and loss of consciousness. In addition, the body is less sensitive to pain stimuli. A life-threatening symptom of severe sleeping pill poisoning is primarily shortness of breath.
Causes
Medications that are most commonly the cause of sleeping pill poisoning include, for example, so-called barbiturates and benzodiazepines. Both groups of drugs are primarily sleep-promoting or sedative via different modes of action. Benzodiazepines are mostly used in medicine to combat sleep disorders or anxiety. In addition, barbiturates are even used as narcotics (anesthetics) in appropriate doses. Due to their degree of effectiveness, barbiturates usually lead to sleeping pill poisoning even at lower doses than is the case with benzodiazepines. In addition, sleep-induced drug intoxication usually occurs more rapidly when ingested sleeping pills are combined with alcohol. This is because alcohol potentiates the effect of barbiturates or benzodiazepines on a person’s nervous system.
Symptoms, complaints, and signs
The symptoms of sleeping pill poisoning depend on the degree of intoxication. It also depends on how quickly the affected person gets help. To be sure, an accidental overdose of sleeping pills is potentially as dangerous as a deliberate suicide attempt. But the patient can often be saved. He may notice an unusual lightheadedness in himself or vomit because of severe nausea. However, because the person usually falls asleep after sleeping pill poisoning, he may not notice the symptoms of an accidental overdose. It is different with an intentionally taken overdose of sleeping pills. Severe drowsiness and fatigue are followed by unconsciousness. Breathing difficulties, low blood pressure and sudden drop in blood pressure may occur. Breathing may change to shortness of breath due to poisoning. The symptoms of poisoning, usually initiated by a combination of sedatives, sleeping pills, or alcohol, can no longer be managed by the detoxification organs. The probability of fatal circulatory arrest or cardiovascular failure is high. Death occurs due to self-induced symptoms if the patient is not found in time. Sleeping pill poisoning leaves symptoms and discomfort from a suicidal dose of sleeping pills even if the patient is rescued in time. Stomach pumping can lead to pneumonia. Interactions with other drugs can cause severe damage to the detoxification organs, leading to years of health problems.
Diagnosis and course
The suspected diagnosis of sleeping pill poisoning is often initially based on typical, named symptoms. If a patient is unconscious, for example, corresponding medication packages in the immediate vicinity of the affected person can confirm the suspicion. However, since symptoms of severe sleeping pill poisoning, such as unconsciousness and weak breathing, can also be caused by a large number of other factors, the latter must be checked or ruled out in further steps. If the drugs that have led to sleeping pill poisoning in an individual case are unknown, corresponding drug substances in the organism can be identified with the aid of a blood test. The course of sleeping pill poisoning depends on various factors.The main factors here are the severity of the poisoning and the time that elapses before medical measures are taken. If a drop in blood pressure and weak breathing continue untreated for a long time as a result of severe sleeping pill poisoning, circulatory failure and/or respiratory arrest can lead to the death of the affected person.
Complications
Initially, sleeping pill poisoning causes the affected person to become unconscious. Depending on the dose taken, serious cardiovascular distress and eventual circulatory arrest may occur after a short time. If no immediate treatment is given, this almost always leads to death. This is accompanied by a drop in blood pressure and breathing difficulties. In the further course, breathing also stops and the affected person falls into a coma. Gastric lavage is not always without complications. If the saline solution gets into the lungs, this can lead to shortness of breath or pneumonia, among other things. The accompanying sedatives can cause interactions with the swallowed preparations and thus trigger serious health problems. Artificial respiration sometimes causes symptoms such as pneumonia, gastric distention, or an increase in intracranial pressure. The heart, kidneys and liver, as well as the blood vessels, are also damaged by the mask or tube. In addition, skin irritation and wounds can occur and become infected. Last, in the case of sleeping pill poisoning, the antidotes administered can also cause complications. Nausea and vomiting are typical, as are drug interactions that cannot always be foreseen prior to the use of the appropriate agents.
When should you see a doctor?
If irregularities or a marked deterioration in health occur after taking medication, consultation with a physician should be sought. Signs such as shortness of breath, faintness or disorientation are worrisome. In severe cases, the assistance of an ambulance service is required. If disturbances of consciousness or loss of perceptions occur, an emergency physician should be alerted. First aid should be applied by bystanders to avoid complications. Rapid heartbeat, acute oxygen deprivation, and anxiety attacks indicate impairment that must be investigated and treated. Severe fatigue, shortness of breath as well as a sudden drop in blood pressure are to be understood as warning signals of the organism. They should be discussed with a doctor as soon as possible. If the affected person suffers from nausea, vomiting or an unexpected diarrhea, clarification of the complaints is advisable. Sweating, irregularities of the cardiovascular system, headaches or stomach cramps should also be investigated. Since in severe cases the premature death of the affected person may occur, a doctor should be consulted already at the first inconsistencies or feeling of sickness immediately after taking the medicine. In the case of mild symptoms of poisoning, a sufficient amount of water should be taken. In parallel, it is recommended to contact an emergency medical service by telephone, so that in a conversation can decide on the further procedure.
Treatment and therapy
Medical measures that become necessary in the case of sleeping pill poisoning are based, among other things, on the individual symptoms of an affected person. If the affected person is unconscious, the stable lateral position (a body position used in first aid) is initially used to keep the airways clear. In addition, blankets are often used to maintain an affected person’s body temperature. If the patient has severe sleep-induced intoxication from barbiturates, antidotes often have to be administered. Since there is also a risk of contents of the stomach entering the lungs in conjunction with unconsciousness, artificial respiration may also be necessary. In the course of further medical measures in the case of severe sleeping pill poisoning, the circulation is usually stabilized with the aid of medication. In order to remove various ingested toxins from a patient’s stomach, gastric lavage is also frequently one of the therapeutic components in severe sleeping pill poisoning. This measure can be supplemented by the use of diuretic drugs. In the case of very severe symptoms, sleeping pill intoxication can also necessitate blood washing.
Prevention
The primary way to prevent sleep aid poisoning is to refrain from overdosing on sleep-promoting medications. Severe effects of sleep aid poisoning can be counteracted by early medical intervention. If a person expresses concrete thoughts of suicide, psychotherapeutic measures in particular can help to stabilize the person concerned. In this way, the risk of intentional sleeping pill poisoning can be reduced.
Aftercare
In most cases, only a few measures of direct aftercare are available to the affected person in the event of sleeping pill poisoning. For this reason, a physician should be consulted as early as possible to prevent the recurrence of these symptoms. No self-healing can occur in this case. In the worst case, death of the affected person will occur if no treatment is initiated. The affected person is usually dependent on intensive therapy to prevent a recurrence of sleeping pill poisoning, provided that this has not occurred as a result of a suicide attempt. In many cases, the help and support of the patient’s own family is necessary to prevent depression and other psychological upsets. The subsequent course generally cannot be predicted. In some cases, sleeping pill poisoning can damage some organs so that this damage can no longer be treated. In the process, the life expectancy of the affected person may also be limited in some cases. First and foremost, the cause of this poisoning should be identified so that it does not recur.
This is what you can do yourself
If sleeping pill poisoning is suspected, the emergency physician must be called immediately or the patient must be taken to the nearest hospital. Until the emergency doctor arrives or the hospital is reached, the affected person should be kept awake at all costs. If the poisoning was accompanied by vomiting or severe diarrhea, the patient should drink fluids, preferably water or fruit tea, if possible. In addition, it is important that the medication that was taken is secured and brought to the hospital. If the sleeping pill was consumed together with alcohol or if there is at least a suspicion of this, the attending physician must be informed. If the intoxication was due to an accidental wrong dosage, the patient should immediately ask a doctor or pharmacist about the correct intake of the sleeping pill after the incident in order to prevent further accidental intoxications. Taking sleeping pills together with alcohol is life-threatening and must be avoided. Poisoning with sleeping pills often represents a suicide attempt. If the attending physician has not already initiated appropriate measures, it is important that the affected person, and if he or she is unable to do so, the relatives, take care of the necessary psychological support. The initiation of psychotherapy is urgent after a suicide attempt.