A poison is any substance that can damage or impair bodily function when it is introduced into the body. Poisons can be inhaled, absorbed, injected or swallowed. Even prescription or over-the-counter drugs can act as a poison if taken in too large a quantity. Poisonings can happen intentionally or by accident.

Poison Control reports approximately 2.2 million poison exposures each year. That's one poisoning every 15 seconds. Even though more than a million cases of poisoning each year involve children, the death rate from poisoning has decreased steadily since the mid-1960s. In the year 2000, only 920 deaths were attributed to poisoning. Unfortunately, poisoning deaths among adults have increased. Children are most commonly poisoned by ingestion of household products; plants, cleansers, medications and other chemicals.

With early, aggressive treatment, many poisonings and overdoses can be treated and lives can be saved. Your primary responsibility is to recognize that a poisoning or overdose has occurred and call 911 immediately. Poison Control is an excellent resource to identify the type of first aid needed. The easiest way to reach Poison Control is through 911. Once connected, the operator will usually want to know: WHAT was taken, HOW MUCH was taken and WHEN it was taken. Utilize bystanders to gather this information.

Obtaining a history from the patient or a witness that an ingestion has occurred is the simplest method of identifying this problem. As you'd probably guess, people involved with illegal drug use rarely want to discuss it and will regularly lie about their drug use. Be alert for a sudden onset of nausea, vomiting or diarrhea as well as an altered level of responsiveness or acts of combativeness. Abdominal pain or cramping can also be a sign of poisoning/overdose.

Many drugs affect either the sympathetic or the parasympathetic nervous systems. To review, the sympathetic nervous system speeds the body up, the parasympathetic nervous system slows it down.  Uppers such as cocaine, crystal meth, diet pills and caffeine arestimulants that cause the heart rate, blood pressure and respirations to rise. A typical cocaine overdose may result in the patient's heart rate going above 200 beats per minute, twice the normal rate. Downers such as sleeping pills, barbiturates, alcohol and sedatives have the opposite effect and can cause heart rate, respirations and blood pressure to drop. They can also cause a decreased level of responsive ness so you need to be alert for airway or breathing problems.

Should you find yourself in a situation where two or more people in a group suddenly become sick, food poisoning may be the culprit. Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea almost always occur. This is rarely a cause to notify EMS, but they should be transported to the emergency room to receive treatment.