Poisons, as well as chemical substances harmful to the human body in high doses, require treatment. In some cases, there is no suitable antidote, leaving the only option to observe the patient, treat symptomatically and, if possible, intervene if life-threatening or very uncomfortable symptoms of poisoning occur.

Better, however, is treatment with the appropriate antidote, i.e. with the antidote . An antidote reverses the effects of the toxin using a variety of mechanisms. Some antidotes dock onto the toxins in the patient’s body and thereby render their toxic effects harmless, since they can no longer exert them. Others break down the toxin so that only the antidote remains in the body.

Although an antidote is not toxic for the patient, it is often not completely harmless. Although it reverses the much more dangerous poisoning, the administration of an antidote can itself lead to side effects and symptoms.

Pharmacological effect on body & organs

A toxic substance blocks important functions of the body, which is why it is so dangerous for the human organism in the first place. For example, they impede the respiratory muscles , switch off digestion or disrupt the healthy function of the heart muscle .Some poisonings are just uncomfortable, but the body usually copes with them on its own – others are actually life-threatening because they affect vital organs and processes in the body.

An antidote causes very similar effects, but on the toxin and no longer on the patient. In this way, over time, the antidote turns off the toxic effects of the first chemical ingested. This happens, for example, by the antidote enzymatically catalysing or docking with the toxin and thereby blocking chemical processes so that the toxin is no longer toxic and can simply be excreted or broken down by the body. The poisoning of the patient is thus ended with a sufficiently large amount of an antidote.

Depending on the antidote, however, it can happen as a side effect that physical functions are attacked by the antidote. As a result, the patient suffers further symptoms from the treatment of poisoning or overdose of a drug, which are accepted by the doctor in order to treat the far more dangerous poisoning.

When treating poisoning, for example from snake bites , alcohol or other chemical substances, side effects such as nausea , vomiting , headaches or pain in the affected organs can occur.

Common side effects when treating overdoses of certain medications with the appropriate antidote can be of a psychological nature. These include nervousness , feelings of anxiety or panic attacks . Each antidote is itself a potent chemical with pharmacological activity. This in turn means that the treatment of poisoning does not have to remain symptom-free.

Medicinal Application & Use for Treatment & Prevention

There are roughly two areas of application for antidotes: poisoning and overdoses. Poisoning is the ingestion of a substance into the body that damages, impairs, or stops essential functions. This can be life-threatening for the patient if a poison attacks vital organs.

An overdose, on the other hand, occurs when the patient has ingested too large a quantity of a substance that is in itself harmless. It can be an overdose of sleeping pills , psychotropic drugs or even far less dangerous substances such as over-the-counter tablets.

The antidote is usually given intravenously to the patient so that it can get into the bloodstream quickly and break down the toxin as quickly as possible before the patient suffers further damage. Antidotes are not usually administered as a preventive measure, as the patient should try not to become poisoned or overdosed.

Exceptions can exist if the patient receives a drug that cures his underlying disease, but can also have a partially toxic effect. In these cases, the antidote is sometimes given at the same time as the drug to get as much benefit as possible and as little harm as possible. If you know, for example, that the patient could get diarrhea , activated charcoal can be administered as an antidote at the same time in order to avoid diarrhea as far as possible.

Risks & side effects

Poisons are highly potent substances that can cause great harm. It is therefore not too surprising that the respective antidote is also highly effective. Almost any antidote has the potential to be toxic even in excessive doses, so it should be used with caution and after weighing the risks and benefits. If an antidote is dosed too high, there is a risk that it will itself have toxic effects. The patient would have to be treated again.Each antidote also has a number of side effects that depend on the exact mechanism of action of the substance and its dose. Some antidotes go almost unnoticed as long as they are used in low doses and this is sufficient for treatment. Those that act on the internal organs can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and pain.

Antidotes against psychopharmacologically active substances are more likely to trigger psychological side effects such as anxiety or panic attacks. However, the exact side effects vary from antidote to antidote and the patient is informed about them before treatment – or when he is responsive again.