BACK TOTOP Browse A-ZSearchBrowse A-ZABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ0-9 E-mail FormEmail ResultsName:Email address:Recipients Name:Recipients address:Message: Print-FriendlyBookmarksbookmarks-menuAntidiarrheal drug overdoseDiarrhea medicine poisoning; Diphenoxylate and atropine poisoningAntidiarrheal drugs are used to treat loose, watery, and frequent stools. This article discusses overdose of antidiarrheal drugs containing diphenoxylate and atropine. Both ingredients help slow intestinal movement. In addition, atropine helps decrease the body's production of fluids. Other antidiarrheal drugs on the market contain different ingredients, such as loperamide. This article focuses on antidiarrheal drugs containing diphenoxylate and atropine specifically.OverdoseAn overdose is when you take more than the recommended amount of something, often a medicine or drug. An overdose may result in serious, harmful sym...Read Article Now Book Mark Article This article is for information only. DO NOT use it to treat or manage an actual overdose. If you or someone you are with overdoses, call the local emergency number (such as 911), or the local poison control center can be reached directly by calling the national toll-free Poison Help hotline (1-800-222-1222) from anywhere in the United States. Poisonous Ingredient The ingredients include:Diphenoxylate AtropineDiphenoxylate is a weak opioid, a class of drugs that includes morphine and other narcotics. Abuse of opioids, or use of opioids for nonmedical reasons is a growing problem.Growing problemWhen a medicine is not taken in the way it is meant to be used and a person is addicted to it, the problem is called prescription drug use disorder. ...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Where Found These substances are found in these medicines:Diphenatol Lofene Logen Lomanate Lomotil Lonox Lo-Trol Nor-Mil Other medicines may also contain these substances.Medicines containing diphenoxylate, such as Lomotil, are often confused with loperamide, a different drug which also contains an opioid ingredient. Symptoms Someone who has overdosed on this medicine may have some of these symptoms:Apathy (loss of desire to do anything) Slow breathing, or breathing stops Pounding or racing heartbeat (palpitations) Pounding or racing heartbeatPalpitations are feelings or sensations that your heart is pounding or racing. They can be felt in your chest, throat, or neck. You may:Have an unpl...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Slowdown or stoppage of the bowels Coma (decreased level of consciousness, lack of responsiveness) ComaDecreased alertness is a state of reduced awareness and is often a serious condition. A coma is the most severe state of decreased alertness from whi...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Constipation ConstipationConstipation in infants and children means they have hard stools or have problems passing stools. A child may have pain while passing stools or may ...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Seizures (convulsions) Drowsiness DrowsinessDrowsiness refers to feeling more sleepy than normal during the day. People who are drowsy may fall asleep when they do not want to or at times whic...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Dry mucous membranes in the mouth Eye changes in pupil size (may be small, normal-sized, or large) Eyes move quickly from side to side Eyes move quickly from side to sideNystagmus is a term to describe uncontrollable movements of the eyes that may be:Side to side (horizontal nystagmus)Up and down (vertical nystagmus)R...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Flushed skin Hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that aren't there) Restlessness Urination difficulty VomitingNote: Symptoms may take up to 12 hours to appear. Home Care Seek medical help right away. DO NOT make the person throw up unless poison control or a health care provider tells you to. Before Calling Emergency Have this information ready:Person's age, weight, and condition Name of the product (ingredients and strength if known) Time it was swallowed Amount swallowed Poison Control Your local poison control center can be reached directly by calling the national toll-free Poison Help hotline (1-800-222-1222) from anywhere in the United States. This national hotline will let you talk to experts in poisoning. They will give you further instructions.Poison control centerFor a POISON EMERGENCY call:1-800-222-1222ANYWHERE IN THE UNITED STATESThis national hotline number will let you talk to experts in poisoning. This ...Read Article Now Book Mark Article This is a free and confidential service. All local poison control centers in the United States use this national number. You should call if you have any questions about poisoning or poison prevention. It does NOT need to be an emergency. You can call for any reason, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. What to Expect at the Emergency Room Take the prescription bottle with you to the hospital, if possible.The provider will measure and monitor the person's vital signs, including temperature, pulse, breathing rate, and blood pressure. Symptoms will be treated. The person may receive:Activated charcoal Oxygen Chest x-ray ECG (electrocardiogram, or heart tracing) ECGAn electrocardiogram (ECG) is a test that records the electrical activity of the heart.Read Article Now Book Mark Article Intravenous fluids (given through a vein) Laxatives Tube through the nose into the stomach to empty the stomach (gastric lavage) Gastric lavageGastric suction is a procedure to empty the contents of your stomach.Read Article Now Book Mark Article Medicine to reverse the effect of atropine Medicine to reverse the effect of diphenoxylate Breathing support, including tube through the mouth and connected to a breathing machine (ventilator) Outlook (Prognosis) Most people will recover with treatment and are monitored for 24 hours. However, deaths may occur in young children. Children under age 6 should be admitted to the hospital and closely watched for 24 hours because signs of lung problems may be delayed and severe.Keep all medicines in child-proof containers and out of reach of children. Read all medicine labels and take only medicines that have been prescribed for you.Open ReferencesReferencesAronson JK. Opioid receptor agonists. In: Aronson JK, ed. Meyler's Side Effects of Drugs. 16th ed. Waltham, MA: Elsevier; 2016:348-380.Nikolaides JK, Thompson TM. Opioids. In: Walls RM, ed. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 10th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2023:chap 151.AllVideoImagesTogRelated Information Review Date: 4/1/2023 Reviewed By: Jesse Borke, MD, CPE, FAAEM, FACEP, Attending Physician at Kaiser Permanente, Orange County, CA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team. The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. No warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, is made as to the accuracy, reliability, timeliness, or correctness of any translations made by a third-party service of the information provided herein into any other language. © 1997- A.D.A.M., a business unit of Ebix, Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. © 1997- All rights reserved. A.D.A.M. content is best viewed in IE9 or above, Firefox and Google Chrome browser.Content is best viewed in IE9 or above, Firefox and Google Chrome browser.
Antidiarrheal drug overdoseDiarrhea medicine poisoning; Diphenoxylate and atropine poisoningAntidiarrheal drugs are used to treat loose, watery, and frequent stools. This article discusses overdose of antidiarrheal drugs containing diphenoxylate and atropine. Both ingredients help slow intestinal movement. In addition, atropine helps decrease the body's production of fluids. Other antidiarrheal drugs on the market contain different ingredients, such as loperamide. This article focuses on antidiarrheal drugs containing diphenoxylate and atropine specifically.OverdoseAn overdose is when you take more than the recommended amount of something, often a medicine or drug. An overdose may result in serious, harmful sym...Read Article Now Book Mark Article This article is for information only. DO NOT use it to treat or manage an actual overdose. If you or someone you are with overdoses, call the local emergency number (such as 911), or the local poison control center can be reached directly by calling the national toll-free Poison Help hotline (1-800-222-1222) from anywhere in the United States. Poisonous Ingredient The ingredients include:Diphenoxylate AtropineDiphenoxylate is a weak opioid, a class of drugs that includes morphine and other narcotics. Abuse of opioids, or use of opioids for nonmedical reasons is a growing problem.Growing problemWhen a medicine is not taken in the way it is meant to be used and a person is addicted to it, the problem is called prescription drug use disorder. ...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Where Found These substances are found in these medicines:Diphenatol Lofene Logen Lomanate Lomotil Lonox Lo-Trol Nor-Mil Other medicines may also contain these substances.Medicines containing diphenoxylate, such as Lomotil, are often confused with loperamide, a different drug which also contains an opioid ingredient. Symptoms Someone who has overdosed on this medicine may have some of these symptoms:Apathy (loss of desire to do anything) Slow breathing, or breathing stops Pounding or racing heartbeat (palpitations) Pounding or racing heartbeatPalpitations are feelings or sensations that your heart is pounding or racing. They can be felt in your chest, throat, or neck. You may:Have an unpl...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Slowdown or stoppage of the bowels Coma (decreased level of consciousness, lack of responsiveness) ComaDecreased alertness is a state of reduced awareness and is often a serious condition. A coma is the most severe state of decreased alertness from whi...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Constipation ConstipationConstipation in infants and children means they have hard stools or have problems passing stools. A child may have pain while passing stools or may ...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Seizures (convulsions) Drowsiness DrowsinessDrowsiness refers to feeling more sleepy than normal during the day. People who are drowsy may fall asleep when they do not want to or at times whic...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Dry mucous membranes in the mouth Eye changes in pupil size (may be small, normal-sized, or large) Eyes move quickly from side to side Eyes move quickly from side to sideNystagmus is a term to describe uncontrollable movements of the eyes that may be:Side to side (horizontal nystagmus)Up and down (vertical nystagmus)R...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Flushed skin Hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that aren't there) Restlessness Urination difficulty VomitingNote: Symptoms may take up to 12 hours to appear. Home Care Seek medical help right away. DO NOT make the person throw up unless poison control or a health care provider tells you to. Before Calling Emergency Have this information ready:Person's age, weight, and condition Name of the product (ingredients and strength if known) Time it was swallowed Amount swallowed Poison Control Your local poison control center can be reached directly by calling the national toll-free Poison Help hotline (1-800-222-1222) from anywhere in the United States. This national hotline will let you talk to experts in poisoning. They will give you further instructions.Poison control centerFor a POISON EMERGENCY call:1-800-222-1222ANYWHERE IN THE UNITED STATESThis national hotline number will let you talk to experts in poisoning. This ...Read Article Now Book Mark Article This is a free and confidential service. All local poison control centers in the United States use this national number. You should call if you have any questions about poisoning or poison prevention. It does NOT need to be an emergency. You can call for any reason, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. What to Expect at the Emergency Room Take the prescription bottle with you to the hospital, if possible.The provider will measure and monitor the person's vital signs, including temperature, pulse, breathing rate, and blood pressure. Symptoms will be treated. The person may receive:Activated charcoal Oxygen Chest x-ray ECG (electrocardiogram, or heart tracing) ECGAn electrocardiogram (ECG) is a test that records the electrical activity of the heart.Read Article Now Book Mark Article Intravenous fluids (given through a vein) Laxatives Tube through the nose into the stomach to empty the stomach (gastric lavage) Gastric lavageGastric suction is a procedure to empty the contents of your stomach.Read Article Now Book Mark Article Medicine to reverse the effect of atropine Medicine to reverse the effect of diphenoxylate Breathing support, including tube through the mouth and connected to a breathing machine (ventilator) Outlook (Prognosis) Most people will recover with treatment and are monitored for 24 hours. However, deaths may occur in young children. Children under age 6 should be admitted to the hospital and closely watched for 24 hours because signs of lung problems may be delayed and severe.Keep all medicines in child-proof containers and out of reach of children. Read all medicine labels and take only medicines that have been prescribed for you.Open ReferencesReferencesAronson JK. Opioid receptor agonists. In: Aronson JK, ed. Meyler's Side Effects of Drugs. 16th ed. Waltham, MA: Elsevier; 2016:348-380.Nikolaides JK, Thompson TM. Opioids. In: Walls RM, ed. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 10th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2023:chap 151.