MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia: Clinitest tablets overdose

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Clinitest tablets overdose

Contents of this page:
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)

Definition

Clinitest poisoning is an overdose of Clinitest tablets, which test the urine for glucose levels. Clinitest tablets are not meant to be ingested (swallowed).

Poisonous Ingredient

Copper sulfate
Citric acid
Sodium hydroxide
Sodium carbonate

Where Found

Clinitest Reagent tablets.

Note: This list may not be all inclusive.

Symptoms

Body as a whole
- Blood in urine
- No urine output
- Collapse
- Convulsions
- Collapse
Respiratory
- Inability to breathe from throat swelling
Eyes, ears, nose, and throat
- Burning pain in the mouth and throat
- Burns in mouth and throat
Skin
- Burns of exposed skin
Gastrointestinal
- Vomiting
- Pain when defecating (passing stool)
- Diarrhea, may be watery or bloody
- Severe abdominal pain
Heart and blood vessels
- Low blood pressure

Home Treatment

Any ingestion or overdose of Clinitest tablets mandates immediate medical evaluation. Dilute the poison by giving water immediately. DO NOT INDUCE VOMITING -- vomiting will probably occur on its own. Call Poison Control as soon as possible.

Before Calling Emergency

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

Any ingestion or overdose of Clinitest tablets mandates immediate medical evaluation. 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:

Placement of a tube down the nose and into the stomach (a nasogastric tube, or NG tube) to wash out the stomach
Endoscopy -- the placement of a camera down the throat to see the extent of burns to the esophagus and the stomach
IV fluids
Admission to the hospital
Antidote
Treatment of symptoms

Expectations (prognosis)

The patient's outlook depends on how rapidly the alkali was diluted and neutralized. Extensive damage to the mouth, throat, eyes, lungs, esophagus, nose, and stomach are possible. The ultimate outcome depends on the extent of this damage. Damage continues to occur to the esophagus and stomach for several weeks after the alkali was swallowed, and death may occur as long as a month later.

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.

The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. Copyright 2002 A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.