Antidote

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An antidote is a substance which can counteract a form of poisoning.[1] The term ultimately derives
from the Greek αντιδιδοναιantididonai, "given against".

The antidotes for some particular toxins are manufactured by injecting the toxin into an animal in small
doses and extracting the resulting antibodies from the host animals' blood. This results in
an antivenom that can be used to counteract poison produced by certain species of snakes, spiders,
and other venomous animals. A number of venoms lack a viable antivenom, and a bite or sting from
an animal producing such a toxin often results in death. Some animal venoms, especially those
produced by arthropods (e.g. certainspiders, scorpions, bees, etc.) are only potentially lethal when
they provoke allergic reactions and induce anaphylactic shock; as such, there is no "antidote" for these
venoms because it is not a form of poisoning and anaphylactic shock can be treated (e.g., by the use
ofepinephrine).

Some other toxins have no known antidote. For example, the poison aconitine, a highly
poisonous alkaloid derived from various aconite species has no antidote, and as a result is often fatal if
it enters the human body in sufficient quantities.

Contents
[hide]

• 1 Mechanical approaches

• 2 List of antidotes

• 3 References

• 4 See also

[edit]Mechanical approaches
Ingested poisons are frequently treated by the oral administration of activated charcoal,
which absorbs the poison and flushes it from the digestive tract, thereby removing a large part of the
toxin.A remedy:

Poisons which are injected into the body (such as those from bites or stings from venomous animals)
are usually treated by the use of a constriction band which limits the flow of lymph and/or blood to the
area, thus slowing circulation of the poison around the body. This should not be confused with use of
a tourniquet which cuts off blood flow completely - often leading to the loss of the limb.

[edit]List of antidotes
Agent Indication
Activated charcoal with sorbital used for many oral toxins
organophosphate and carbamate insecticides,
Atropine
some mushrooms
Beta Blocker theophylline
calcium channel blockers, black widow
Calcium chloride
spiderbites
Calcium gluconate hydrofluoric acid
Chelators such
as EDTA, dimercaprol (BAL), penicillamine, and 2,3- heavy metal poisoning
dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA, succimer)
Cyanide antidote(amyl nitrite, sodium nitrite,
cyanide poisoning
or thiosulfate)
Cyproheptadine serotonin syndrome
Deferoxamine mesylate Iron poisoning
Digoxin Immune Fab antibody (Digibind and Digifab) digoxin poisoning
Diphenhydramine hydrochloride and benztropine Extrapyramidal reactions associated
mesylate withantipsychotic
ethylene glycol poisoning
Ethanol or fomepizole
and methanolpoisoning
Flumazenil benzodiazepine poisoning
beta blocker poisoning and calcium channel
Glucagon
blocker poisoning
carbon monoxide poisoning
100% oxygen or hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT)
and cyanidepoisoning
beta blocker poisoning and calcium channel
Insulin
blocker poisoning
Leucovorin methotrexate and trimethoprim
treatment of conditions that
Methylene blue
causemethemoglobinemia
Naloxone hydrochloride opioid poisoning
N-acetylcysteine Paracetamol (acetaminophen) poisoning
Octreotide oral hypoglycemic agents
Pralidoxime chloride (2-PAM) organophosphate insecticides
Protamine sulfate Heparin poisoning
Prussian blue Thallium poisoning
Physostigmine sulfate anticholinergic poisoning
Pyridoxine Isoniazid poisoning, ethylene glycol
Phytomenadione(vitamin K) and fresh frozen plasma warfarin poisoning and indanedione
Sodium bicarbonate ASA, TCAs with a wide QRS

[edit]References

1. ^ antidote at Dorland's Medical Dictionary

[edit]See also

Look
up antidote in Wiktionary,
the free dictionary.

 snakebite

 tourniquet

 Universal antidote