MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia: Sports cream overdose

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Sports cream overdose

Contents of this page:
Alternative names Definition Poisonous Ingredient Where Found Symptoms	Home Treatment Before Calling Emergency Poison Control, or a local emergency number What to expect at the emergency room Expectations (prognosis)

Alternative names

Ben-Gay; Menthol and methyl-salicylate; Methyl-salicylate and menthol

Definition Return to top

Sports cream overdose is poisoning from an overdose (by swallowing or skin exposure) of sports creams or ointments that treat aches and pains.

Poisonous Ingredient Return to top

Methyl-salicylate
Menthol

Where Found Return to top

Methyl-salicylates and menthol are found in many topical pain-relieving sports creams.

Symptoms Return to top

Body as a whole (from ingestion of salicylates)
- Hyperactivity
- Fever
- Convulsions
- Collapse
Skin
- Rash (usually an allergic reaction)
- Mild burn (in extremely high doses)
Respiratory
- Rapid breathing
- Cessation of breathing
Eyes, ears, nose, and throat
- Ringing in the ears
- Eye irritation
- Loss of vision
- Throat swelling
Gastrointestinal
- Nausea or vomiting
- Bleeding in the stomach
Nervous system
- Dizziness
- Hallucinations
- Drowsiness
Kidneys
- Kidney failure (salicylates)
Blood
- Too much acid in the blood (low pH)

Home Treatment Return to top

Remove any ointment still remaining on the skin. If the ointment is in the eyes, flush the eyes with water. If the ointment was swallowed, call Poison Control for guidance. For any exposure to the eyes or any ingestion, seek medical care immediately.

Before Calling Emergency Return to top

Determine the following information:

Patient's age, weight, and condition
The name of the product (ingredients and strengths, if known)
When it was swallowed
The amount swallowed

Poison Control, or a local emergency number Return to top

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 Return to top

Some or all of the following procedures may be performed:

For swallowed poison
- Placing a tube down the nose and into the stomach (a nasogastric or NG tube) to wash out the stomach
- Administering activated charcoal
- Taking a blood sample to determine salicylate level in blood
- Giving IV fluids
- Admission to the hospital
- Treating the symptoms
For skin exposure
- Irrigation (washing of the skin), perhaps every few hours for several days
- Skin debridement (surgical removal of burned skin)
- Admission or transfer to a hospital that specializes in burn care

Expectations (prognosis) Return to top

Sports cream and ointment overdose is rarely a serious poisoning, depending on the blood level of salicylates found. Recovery is likely if the acidic effect of the salicylate can be neutralized.

Update Date: 2/9/2004

Updated by: Cherlin Johnson, M.D., Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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