Poison Antidotes

As soon as a person comes in contact with poison, whether it is
ingested or if the person gets a toxic substance on the skin, the best
course of action is to seek medical help to receive an antidote for
the poison. For poisons that have been ingested into the system, the
usual antidote is to induce vomiting to get the poison out of the
body. An antidote is a substance that will counteract the effect of
the poison.

In some cases, an antitoxin has to be injected into the body. This is
the case in treating a person who has been bitten by a poisonous
snake. There are some types of venom from snakes and insects for which
there is no antidote. Quite often these venom's cause anaphylactic
shock, which can be treated with epinephrine.

The following is a list of poisons and the antidote for each one:

Beta blockers –glucagon
Lead – BAL, EDTA, DMSA
Toxic Alcohols – ethanol drip or even dialysis

Aspirin is a common first aid medication in most homes for headaches
and pain. When take too large a quantity, it can become a poison. The
antidote for this is to give the patient two teaspoons of bicarbonate
of soda mixed with water to induce vomiting. This is the antidote for
many common poisons, such as acetone, which is found in many nail
polishes.

For poisoning with cleaning fluids, you should never induce vomiting
in the patient. The antidote to use in this situation is to take the
patient outside in the fresh air and give him/her coffee or tea to
drink. Carbon monoxide poisoning also requires fresh air as the
antidote.

For poisoning with lead that is found in most paints, the best
antidote is to induce vomiting. Then give the patient large amounts of
milk or Epsom salts and induce vomiting a second time. When fluoride
is the poison, the antidote is to induce vomiting, followed by large
amounts of milk or calcium tablets.

If a patient has gotten a poisonous substance on the skin, wash the
area off with liberal amounts of water immediately. If the skin is red
or blistered, seek medical help right away.