Secobarbital overdose

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Secobarbital overdose

Definition:

Poisoning from an overdose of secobarbital.

Alternative Names:

Meballymal; Quinalbarbitone sodium

Poisonous Ingredient:

Secobarbital

Where Found:

Seconal
Immenoctal
Seral

This list may not be all inclusive.

Symptoms:

Total body
- Fever
- Unsteady gait
- Slurred speech
Respiratory
- Slow or stopped breathing
- Breathing difficulty
Heart and blood vessels
- Pulse, weak
- Low blood pressure
Nervous system
- Headache
- Confusion
- Delirium
- Coma
- Excitement
- Deep sleep

Home Treatment:

Call Poison Control for instructions.

Before Calling Emergency:

Determine the following information:

The patient's age, weight, and condition
The name of the product (ingredients and strengths if known)
The time it was swallowed
The amount swallowed
If the medication was prescribed for the patient

Poison Control, or a local emergency number:

They will instruct you if it is necessary to take the patient to the hospital. See Poison Control centers for telephone numbers and addresses. Take the container with you to the emergency room.

What to expect at the emergency room:

Some or all of the following procedures may be performed:

Administer activated charcoal.
Administer a laxative.
Use gastric lavage.
Give a blood test to determine amount of drug in the blood.
Treat the symptoms.

Expectations (prognosis):

The prognosis (probable outcome) depends on the symptoms observed by the health care provider.

Mild
- The patient can be aroused.
- No further treatment will probably be necessary.
Moderate
- The patient cannot be aroused.
- Breathing is normal.
- Other life signs (pulse, skin color, etc.) are normal.
- Recovery will probably occur within 24 to 48 hours, with proper care.
Severe
- The patient cannot be aroused.
- Breathing and other life signs may be abnormal.
- Recovery will probably occur within 3 to 5 days, depending on the amount swallowed.

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