Imipramine overdose
Tofranil overdose, Norpramin overdoseImipramine is a prescription medicine used to treat depression. Imipramine 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 has an overdose, 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.
Overdose
An 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 ArticlePoisonous Ingredient
Imipramine can be harmful in large amounts.
Where Found
Imipramine is sold under many brand names. Some of these are:
- Norpramin
- Tofranil
Medicines with other names may also contain imipramine.
Symptoms
Below are symptoms of an imipramine overdose in different parts of the body. These symptoms may occur more often or be more severe in people who also take certain other medicines that affect serotonin, a chemical in the brain.
AIRWAYS AND LUNGS
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Slow, labored breathing
Slow, labored breathing
Breathing difficulty may involve:Difficult breathing Uncomfortable breathingFeeling like you are not getting enough air
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BLADDER AND KIDNEYS
- Cannot urinate
-
Hard to start urinating, or weak urine stream
Hard to start urinating, or weak urine ...
Difficulty starting or maintaining a urine stream is called urinary hesitancy.
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EYES, EARS, MOUTH, NOSE, AND THROAT
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Blurred vision
Blurred vision
There 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 - Dry mouth
- Enlarged pupils
- Eye pain in people at risk for a type of glaucoma
- Dry eyes
-
Ringing in the ears
Ringing in the ears
Tinnitus is the medical term for "hearing" noises in your ears. It occurs when there is no outside source of the sounds. Tinnitus is often called "r...
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HEART AND BLOOD VESSELS
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Low blood pressure
Low blood pressure
Low blood pressure occurs when blood pressure is much lower than normal. This means the heart, brain, and other parts of the body may not get enough...
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Pounding heartbeat (palpitations)
Palpitations
Palpitations 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...
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Shock
Shock
Shock is a life-threatening condition that occurs when the body is not getting enough blood flow. Lack of blood flow means the cells and organs do n...
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NERVOUS SYSTEM
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Agitation
Agitation
Agitation is an unpleasant state of extreme arousal. An agitated person may feel stirred up, excited, tense, confused, or irritable.
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Coma (lack of responsiveness)
Coma
Decreased 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...
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-
Seizures
Seizures
A seizure is the physical changes in behavior that occurs during an episode of specific types of abnormal electrical activity in the brain. The term ...
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Delirium
Delirium
Delirium is sudden severe confusion due to rapid changes in brain function that can occur with physical or mental illness.
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Depression
Depression
Depression 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...
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Drowsiness
Drowsiness
Drowsiness 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...
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Hallucinations
Hallucinations
Hallucinations 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 - Inability to concentrate
- Nervousness
-
Tremor
Tremor
A 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...
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Unsteadiness
Unsteadiness
Uncoordinated movement is due to a muscle control problem that causes an inability to coordinate movements. It leads to a jerky, unsteady, to-and-fr...
Read Article Now Book Mark Article - Rigidity or stiffness of the limbs
SKIN
- Dry, red skin
STOMACH AND INTESTINES
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Constipation
Constipation
Constipation in infants and children means they have hard stools or have problems passing stools. A child may have pain while passing stools or may ...
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Home Care
This can be a very serious overdose. 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
- 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 center
For 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 ArticleThis 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 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.
Vital signs
Vital signs reflect essential body functions, including your heartbeat, breathing rate, temperature, and blood pressure. Your health care provider m...
Read Article Now Book Mark ArticleTests that may done include:
- Blood and urine tests
- Chest x-ray
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CT scan
CT scan
A computed tomography (CT) scan is an imaging method that uses x-rays to create pictures of cross-sections of the body. Related tests include:Abdomin...
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Electrocardiogram (ECG)
Electrocardiogram
An electrocardiogram (ECG) is a test that records the electrical activity of the heart.
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Treatment may include:
- Fluids through a vein (by IV)
- Medicine called an antidote to reverse the effects of the poison and treat symptoms, such as sodium bicarbonate or lidocaine
- Activated charcoal
- Laxatives
- Breathing support, including a tube through the mouth into the lungs and connected to a breathing machine (ventilator)
Ventilator
A kidney stone is a solid mass made up of tiny crystals. One or more stones can be in the kidney or ureter at the same time.
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Outlook (Prognosis)
An imipramine overdose can be very serious.
People who swallow too much of this medicine are almost always admitted to the hospital.
How well someone does depends on how much of the medicine was swallowed and how quickly treatment is given. The faster a person gets medical help, the better the chance of recovery. Complications such as heart rhythm disturbances, pneumonia, muscle damage from lying on a hard surface for a long period of time, or brain damage from lack of oxygen may result in permanent disability. Death can occur.
References
Aronson JK. Tricyclic antidepressants. In: Aronson JK, ed. Meyler's Side Effects of Drugs. 16th ed. Waltham, MA: Elsevier; 2016:146-169.
Levine MD, Ruha A-M. Antidepressants. In: Walls RM, ed. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 10th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2023:chap 141.
Review Date: 11/2/2023
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.