Desipramine hydrochloride overdose

Home treatment:

None. Call Poison Control.

Before calling emergency:

Determine the following information:

• the patient's age, weight, and condition
• the name of the product (ingredients and strengths if known)
• the time it was swallowed
• the amount swallowed
• if the medication was prescribed for the patient

Poison Control, or a local emergency number:

They will instruct you if it is necessary to take the patient to the hospital. See Poison Control centers for telephone numbers and addresses. Take the container with you to the emergency room.

What to expect at the emergency room:

Some or all of the following procedures may be performed:

• Administer activated charcoal.
• Use gastric lavage.
• Monitor the patient's vital signs (temperature, pulse, rate of breathing, blood pressure).
• Maintain the patient's airway.
• Institute fluid replacement, if appropriate.
• Treat the symptoms.

Expectations (prognosis):

The amount swallowed and the time before appropriate therapy is initiated usually determine the final outcome. Patients have died as late as 72 hours after an overdose ingestion. The sooner therapy is applied, the greater the chance of a positive outcome.