URL of this page: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002634.htm
Alternative names
Dramamine; DimetabsDefinition
This is poisoning from taking an excessive amount of dimenhydrinate, a type of antihistamine.
Poisonous Ingredient
Dimenhydrinate
Where Found
Dimenhydrinate is an ingredient found in some allergy medicines, as well as medicines used to treat nausea and vomiting.
It may be found in:
Symptoms
Heart and blood
Gastrointestinal
Lungs
Nervous system
Before Calling Emergency
Determine the following information:
Poison Control, or a local emergency number
The National Poison Control Center (1-800-222-1222) can be called from anywhere in the United States. This national hotline number will let you talk to experts in poisoning. They will give you further instructions.
This is a free and confidential service. All local poison control centers in the U.S. use this national number. You should call if you have any questions about poisoning or poison prevention. It does NOT need to be an emergency. You can call for any reason, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Take the container with you to the hospital, if possible.
See National Poison Control center.
What to expect at the emergency room
The health care provider will measure and monitor the patient's vital signs, including temperature, pulse, breathing rate, and blood pressure.
The patient may receive:
Expectations (prognosis)
If the patient survives the first 24 hours, a good recovery is likely. Few patients actually die from an antihistamine overdose.
Update Date: 3/18/2006 Updated by: Janeen R. Azare, PhD, MSPH, Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.