Cardiac glycosides

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Cardiac glycosides

Definition:

This is poisoning from cardiac glycoside.

Alternative Names:

Digoxin; Digitoxin; Lanoxin; Purgoxin; Allocar; Corramedan; Cystodigin

Poisonous Ingredient:

deslanoside
digitoxin
digoxin(e)

Note: This list may not be all inclusive.

Where Found:

deslanoside
digitoxin
digoxin
in foxglove

Note: This list may not be all inclusive.

Symptoms:

body as a whole
- weakness
- headache
- apathy
- depression
- hallucinations *
eyes, ears, nose, and throat
- blurred vision
- halos around objects (yellow, green, white) *
skin
- rash
- hives
- stevens-johnson syndrome
gastrointestinal
- loss of appetite *
- vomiting or nausea
- abdominal pain (lower stomach)
- diarrhea
heart and blood vessels
- irregular heartbeat (or slow)
- low blood pressure
nervous system
- drowsiness
- confusion
- depression *
- headache
- fainting
- lethargy
- disorientation

* Usually only seen with chronic overdose cases

Home Treatment:

Do not induce vomiting unless instructed to do so by Poison Control or by a physician.

Before Calling Emergency:

Determine the following information:

the patient's age, weight, and condition
the name of the product (ingredients and strengths if known) or plant
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 or plant with you to the emergency room.

What to expect at the emergency room:

Some or all of the following procedures may be performed:

induce vomiting
administer activated charcoal
use gastric lavage
monitor vital signs (blood pressure, pulse, and so forth)
monitor EKG (monitors heart function)
blood samples drawn to determine:
- digitalis levels
- serum magnesium levels
- serum potassium levels
administration of antidote and other medication to correct problems resulting from the overdose, if needed
correction of electrolyte (potassium, magnesium) imbalances

Expectations (prognosis):

If the individual survives the first 24 hours their chances of survival are very good.

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