BACK TOTOP Browse A-ZSearchBrowse A-ZABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ0-9 E-mail FormEmail ResultsName:Email address:Recipients Name:Recipients address:Message: Print-FriendlyBookmarksbookmarks-menuOral hypoglycemics overdoseDiabetes pill overdose; Sulfonylurea overdoseOral hypoglycemic pills are medicines to control diabetes. Oral means "taken by mouth." There are many different types of oral hypoglycemics. This article focuses on a type called sulfonylureas.An overdose occurs when someone takes more than the normal or recommended amount of this medicine. The result is a drop in blood sugar level that affects normal function of the body's organs. An overdose may occur by accident or on purpose.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 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 There are many types of oral hypoglycemics. The poisonous ingredient depends on the specific drug. The main ingredient in sulfonylurea-based oral hypoglycemics makes cells in the pancreas produce more insulin. Where Found Sulfonylurea-based oral hypoglycemics can be found in these medicines:Chlorpropamide Glipizide Glyburide Glimepiride Tolbutamide Tolazamide Gliclazide (Canada)Other medicines may also contain sulfonylurea-based oral hypoglycemics. Symptoms Symptoms of an overdose of this medicine include:Agitation, sometimes violent Nervousness, anxiety Tremor, shaking Apathy (lack of desire to do anything) Coma (decreased level of consciousness and lack of responsiveness) Confusion ConfusionConfusion is the inability to think as clearly or quickly as you normally do. You may feel disoriented and have difficulty paying attention, remembe...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Convulsions (seizures, especially in infants and children) 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 Increased appetite Increased appetiteIncreased appetite means you have an excess desire for food.Read Article Now Book Mark Article Nausea NauseaNausea is feeling an urge to vomit. It is often called "being sick to your stomach. "Vomiting or throwing-up forces the contents of the stomach up t...Read Article Now Book Mark Article 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 Stupor (decreased level of consciousness plus confusion) StuporDecreased 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 Sweating Tingling of tongue and lips TinglingNumbness and tingling are abnormal sensations that can occur anywhere in your body, but they are often felt in your fingers, hands, feet, arms, or le...Read Article Now Book Mark Article People who have had a stroke in the past may appear to be having another stroke if their blood sugar drops too low. Before Calling Emergency Have this information ready:Person's age, weight, and condition Name of the medicine (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 (1800-222-1222) 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 control. 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 medicine container to the hospital with you, if possible.The health care provider will measure and monitor the person's vital signs, including temperature, pulse, breathing rate, and blood pressure.Tests that may be done include:Blood and urine tests Chest x-ray ECG (electrocardiogram, or heart tracing) CT scan (if needed to rule out other problems)Treatment may include:Intravenous fluids that include glucose (given through a vein) Medicine to treat symptoms Activated charcoal Laxatives Breathing support, including a tube through the mouth into the lungs and breathing machine (ventilator) Outlook (Prognosis) Some oral hypoglycemics may stay in the body for a long time, so the person may need to stay in the hospital for 24 hours or more. Permanent brain damage and death are possible, especially if blood glucose level does not return to normal in a timely manner. Infants, children, and older people are most likely to develop more serious and long-term complications from low blood sugar levels that are not corrected rapidly.Blood glucose levelA blood sugar test measures the amount of a sugar called glucose in a sample of your blood. Glucose is a major source of energy for most cells of the...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Open ReferencesReferencesAronson JK. Sulfonylureas. In: Aronson JK, ed. Meyler's Side Effects of Drugs. 16th ed. Waltham, MA: Elsevier; 2016:594-657.Maloney GE, Glauser JM. Diabetes mellitus and disorders of glucose homeostasis. In: Walls RM, ed. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 10th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2023:chap 115.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. 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Oral hypoglycemics overdoseDiabetes pill overdose; Sulfonylurea overdoseOral hypoglycemic pills are medicines to control diabetes. Oral means "taken by mouth." There are many different types of oral hypoglycemics. This article focuses on a type called sulfonylureas.An overdose occurs when someone takes more than the normal or recommended amount of this medicine. The result is a drop in blood sugar level that affects normal function of the body's organs. An overdose may occur by accident or on purpose.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 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 There are many types of oral hypoglycemics. The poisonous ingredient depends on the specific drug. The main ingredient in sulfonylurea-based oral hypoglycemics makes cells in the pancreas produce more insulin. Where Found Sulfonylurea-based oral hypoglycemics can be found in these medicines:Chlorpropamide Glipizide Glyburide Glimepiride Tolbutamide Tolazamide Gliclazide (Canada)Other medicines may also contain sulfonylurea-based oral hypoglycemics. Symptoms Symptoms of an overdose of this medicine include:Agitation, sometimes violent Nervousness, anxiety Tremor, shaking Apathy (lack of desire to do anything) Coma (decreased level of consciousness and lack of responsiveness) Confusion ConfusionConfusion is the inability to think as clearly or quickly as you normally do. You may feel disoriented and have difficulty paying attention, remembe...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Convulsions (seizures, especially in infants and children) 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 Increased appetite Increased appetiteIncreased appetite means you have an excess desire for food.Read Article Now Book Mark Article Nausea NauseaNausea is feeling an urge to vomit. It is often called "being sick to your stomach. "Vomiting or throwing-up forces the contents of the stomach up t...Read Article Now Book Mark Article 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 Stupor (decreased level of consciousness plus confusion) StuporDecreased 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 Sweating Tingling of tongue and lips TinglingNumbness and tingling are abnormal sensations that can occur anywhere in your body, but they are often felt in your fingers, hands, feet, arms, or le...Read Article Now Book Mark Article People who have had a stroke in the past may appear to be having another stroke if their blood sugar drops too low. Before Calling Emergency Have this information ready:Person's age, weight, and condition Name of the medicine (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 (1800-222-1222) 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 control. 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 medicine container to the hospital with you, if possible.The health care provider will measure and monitor the person's vital signs, including temperature, pulse, breathing rate, and blood pressure.Tests that may be done include:Blood and urine tests Chest x-ray ECG (electrocardiogram, or heart tracing) CT scan (if needed to rule out other problems)Treatment may include:Intravenous fluids that include glucose (given through a vein) Medicine to treat symptoms Activated charcoal Laxatives Breathing support, including a tube through the mouth into the lungs and breathing machine (ventilator) Outlook (Prognosis) Some oral hypoglycemics may stay in the body for a long time, so the person may need to stay in the hospital for 24 hours or more. Permanent brain damage and death are possible, especially if blood glucose level does not return to normal in a timely manner. Infants, children, and older people are most likely to develop more serious and long-term complications from low blood sugar levels that are not corrected rapidly.Blood glucose levelA blood sugar test measures the amount of a sugar called glucose in a sample of your blood. Glucose is a major source of energy for most cells of the...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Open ReferencesReferencesAronson JK. Sulfonylureas. In: Aronson JK, ed. Meyler's Side Effects of Drugs. 16th ed. Waltham, MA: Elsevier; 2016:594-657.Maloney GE, Glauser JM. Diabetes mellitus and disorders of glucose homeostasis. In: Walls RM, ed. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 10th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2023:chap 115.