Bacitracin overdose

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Bacitracin overdose

Definition:

This is poisoning from an overdose of Bacitracin.

Poisonous Ingredient:

Bacitracin

Where Found:

as an injectable (true overdose only occurs with intravenous (IV) or intramuscular (IM) administration
in some antibiotic ointments such as Bacitracin, Bactine Triple Antibiotic
in some prescription eye ointments such as AK-Tracin

Note: This list may not be all inclusive.

Symptoms:

body as a whole
- swelling of the lips and face
- sweating
- tightness of the chest
respiratory
- temporarily stop breathing
gastrointestinal
- nausea
- vomiting
- diarrhea
skin
- rash
- itching
heart and blood vessels
- low blood pressure
- heart stops
nervous system
- unconsciousness

Note: These reactions are more likely as a result of an allergic reaction rather than a true overdose situation:

Home Treatment:

Discontinue use of the antibiotic. If Bacitracin was swallowed, call Poison Control for guidance.

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

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:

Treat the symptoms.
Gastric lavage.
Administer activated charcoal.

Expectations (prognosis):

If the allergic reaction can be controlled, recovery is very likely.

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