Sedative-Hypnotic Toxicity Follow-up
- Author: Jeffrey S Cooper, MD, FAAEM, FACEP; Chief Editor: Asim Tarabar, MD more...
Further Inpatient Care
- Assess for suicide risk.
- With barbiturate toxicity, patients may be discharged after 6 hours of observation, provided that they are asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic.
- Observe patients with benzodiazepine toxicity for at least 2 hours after recovery from flumazenil for late respiratory depression or resedation.
- Patients with glutethimide (Doriden) toxicity require 24 hours of observation in the hospital.
Complications
- Some sedative-hypnotics may have teratogenic or mutagenic effects.
Patient Education
- For excellent patient education resources, visit eMedicine's Substance Abuse Center, Poisoning - First Aid and Emergency Center, and Mental Health and Behavior Center. Also, see eMedicine's patient education articles Barbiturate Abuse, Drug Overdose, Substance Abuse, Activated Charcoal, and Poison Proofing Your Home.
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