BACK TOTOP Browse A-ZSearchBrowse A-ZABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ0-9 E-mail FormEmail ResultsName:Email address:Recipients Name:Recipients address:Message: Print-FriendlyBookmarksbookmarks-menuContac overdoseContac is the brand name for a cough, cold, and allergy medicine. It contains several ingredients, including members of the class of medicines known as sympathomimetics, which can have effects similar to adrenaline. Contac overdose occurs when someone takes more than the normal or recommended amount of this medicine. This can be by accident or on purpose.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 your local emergency number (such as 911), or 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. Poisonous Ingredient These ingredients in Contac can be harmful in large amounts:Acetaminophen (Tylenol) AcetaminophenAcetaminophen (most common brand name Tylenol) is a pain medicine. Acetaminophen overdose occurs when someone takes more than the recommended amount...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Chlorpheniramine Phenylpropanolamine Dextromethorphan hydrobromide Diphenhydramine hydrochloride Pseudoephedrine hydrochloride Note: Not all of these ingredients are found in every form of Contac. Where Found Besides being in Contac, these ingredients are also found in some over-the-counter herbal products advertised to help with weight loss and athletic performance. Symptoms Symptoms of a Contac overdose include:Agitation AgitationAgitation is an unpleasant state of extreme arousal. An agitated person may feel stirred up, excited, tense, confused, or irritable.Read Article Now Book Mark Article Blurred vision Blurred visionThere are many types of eye problems and vision disturbances, such as: Halos Blurred vision (the loss of sharpness of vision and the inability to see...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Convulsions (seizures) ConvulsionsA seizure is the physical changes in behavior that occurs during an episode of specific types of abnormal electrical activity in the brain. The term ...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Depression DepressionDepression may be described as feeling sad, blue, unhappy, miserable, or down in the dumps. Most of us feel this way at one time or another for shor...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Delirium (acute confusion) DeliriumDelirium is sudden severe confusion due to rapid changes in brain function that can occur with physical or mental illness.Read Article Now Book Mark Article Disorientation, nervousness, hallucinations HallucinationsHallucinations involve sensing things such as visions, sounds, or smells that seem real but are not. These things are created by the mind.Read Article Now Book Mark Article 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 Enlarged (dilated) pupils Fever Inability to urinate or completely empty the bladder Increased blood pressure Irregular heartbeat Muscle pain and spasms, tremor, unsteadiness TremorA tremor is a type of shaking movement. A tremor is most often noticed in the hands and arms. It may affect any body part, including the head, tong...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Nausea and vomiting Rapid heartbeat Rapid 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 Yellow eyes due to jaundiceJaundiceJaundice is a yellow color of the skin, mucus membranes, or eyes. The yellow coloring comes from bilirubin, a byproduct of old red blood cells. Jau...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Before Calling Emergency Have this information ready: The person's age, weight, and condition Name of the product (ingredients and strength, if known) Time it was swallowed Amount swallowed If the medicine was prescribed for the person 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 container with you to the hospital, if possible.Your health care provider will measure and monitor your vital signs, including temperature, pulse, breathing rate, and blood pressure. Symptoms will be treated. Tests that may be done include:Blood and urine tests Chest x-ray CT scan (advanced imaging) of the brain for neurologic symptoms Electrocardiogram (ECG) or heart tracingElectrocardiogramAn electrocardiogram (ECG) is a test that records the electrical activity of the heart.Read Article Now Book Mark Article Treatment may include:Activated charcoal Fluids through a vein (IV) Medicine to treat symptoms Laxative Breathing support, including oxygen, tube through the mouth into the lungs, and breathing machine (ventilator) Outlook (Prognosis) This type of overdose tends to be mild. However, if the person swallowed enough of the product, serious complications (such as liver damage) can occur. This is from the acetaminophen in the product. How well a person does depends on how much was taken and how soon they receive treatment. Serious heart rhythm disturbances and death can occur. Open ReferencesReferencesAronson JK. Ephedra, ephedrine, and pseudoephedrine. In: Aronson JK, ed. Meyler's Side Effects of Drugs. 16th ed. Waltham, MA: Elsevier; 2016:65-75.Ganetsky M. Acetaminophen. In: Walls RM, ed. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 10th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2023:chap 138.AllVideoImagesTogRelated Information Review Date: 7/1/2023 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.
Contac overdoseContac is the brand name for a cough, cold, and allergy medicine. It contains several ingredients, including members of the class of medicines known as sympathomimetics, which can have effects similar to adrenaline. Contac overdose occurs when someone takes more than the normal or recommended amount of this medicine. This can be by accident or on purpose.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 your local emergency number (such as 911), or 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. Poisonous Ingredient These ingredients in Contac can be harmful in large amounts:Acetaminophen (Tylenol) AcetaminophenAcetaminophen (most common brand name Tylenol) is a pain medicine. Acetaminophen overdose occurs when someone takes more than the recommended amount...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Chlorpheniramine Phenylpropanolamine Dextromethorphan hydrobromide Diphenhydramine hydrochloride Pseudoephedrine hydrochloride Note: Not all of these ingredients are found in every form of Contac. Where Found Besides being in Contac, these ingredients are also found in some over-the-counter herbal products advertised to help with weight loss and athletic performance. Symptoms Symptoms of a Contac overdose include:Agitation AgitationAgitation is an unpleasant state of extreme arousal. An agitated person may feel stirred up, excited, tense, confused, or irritable.Read Article Now Book Mark Article Blurred vision Blurred visionThere are many types of eye problems and vision disturbances, such as: Halos Blurred vision (the loss of sharpness of vision and the inability to see...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Convulsions (seizures) ConvulsionsA seizure is the physical changes in behavior that occurs during an episode of specific types of abnormal electrical activity in the brain. The term ...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Depression DepressionDepression may be described as feeling sad, blue, unhappy, miserable, or down in the dumps. Most of us feel this way at one time or another for shor...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Delirium (acute confusion) DeliriumDelirium is sudden severe confusion due to rapid changes in brain function that can occur with physical or mental illness.Read Article Now Book Mark Article Disorientation, nervousness, hallucinations HallucinationsHallucinations involve sensing things such as visions, sounds, or smells that seem real but are not. These things are created by the mind.Read Article Now Book Mark Article 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 Enlarged (dilated) pupils Fever Inability to urinate or completely empty the bladder Increased blood pressure Irregular heartbeat Muscle pain and spasms, tremor, unsteadiness TremorA tremor is a type of shaking movement. A tremor is most often noticed in the hands and arms. It may affect any body part, including the head, tong...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Nausea and vomiting Rapid heartbeat Rapid 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 Yellow eyes due to jaundiceJaundiceJaundice is a yellow color of the skin, mucus membranes, or eyes. The yellow coloring comes from bilirubin, a byproduct of old red blood cells. Jau...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Before Calling Emergency Have this information ready: The person's age, weight, and condition Name of the product (ingredients and strength, if known) Time it was swallowed Amount swallowed If the medicine was prescribed for the person 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 container with you to the hospital, if possible.Your health care provider will measure and monitor your vital signs, including temperature, pulse, breathing rate, and blood pressure. Symptoms will be treated. Tests that may be done include:Blood and urine tests Chest x-ray CT scan (advanced imaging) of the brain for neurologic symptoms Electrocardiogram (ECG) or heart tracingElectrocardiogramAn electrocardiogram (ECG) is a test that records the electrical activity of the heart.Read Article Now Book Mark Article Treatment may include:Activated charcoal Fluids through a vein (IV) Medicine to treat symptoms Laxative Breathing support, including oxygen, tube through the mouth into the lungs, and breathing machine (ventilator) Outlook (Prognosis) This type of overdose tends to be mild. However, if the person swallowed enough of the product, serious complications (such as liver damage) can occur. This is from the acetaminophen in the product. How well a person does depends on how much was taken and how soon they receive treatment. Serious heart rhythm disturbances and death can occur. Open ReferencesReferencesAronson JK. Ephedra, ephedrine, and pseudoephedrine. In: Aronson JK, ed. Meyler's Side Effects of Drugs. 16th ed. Waltham, MA: Elsevier; 2016:65-75.Ganetsky M. Acetaminophen. In: Walls RM, ed. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 10th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2023:chap 138.