Vitamin Toxicity Medication

  • Author: Mark Rosenbloom, MD, MBA, FAAEM; Chief Editor: Asim Tarabar, MD   more...
 
Updated: Feb 2, 2011
 

Medication Summary

Care is generally symptomatic and supportive. Gastrointestinal decontamination may be helpful to minimize amount of vitamin absorbed systemically. Administer charcoal for acute overdoses. Antiemetics or antidiarrheals are helpful if needed.

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GI decontaminant

Class Summary

Empirically used to minimize systemic absorption of the toxin. May only benefit if administered within 1 h of ingestion.

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Activated charcoal (Liqui-Char)

 

Binds vitamin within the GI tract. Multiple doses can be administered to help enhance elimination. However, little evidence supports multiple doses of activated charcoal in vitamin overdose. Initial dose may be administered with a cathartic (eg, sorbitol). Subsequent doses should be administered at one-half original dose, without a cathartic, as often as q2-6h. Do not administer subsequent doses in presence of ileus.

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Contributor Information and Disclosures
Author

Mark Rosenbloom, MD, MBA, FAAEM  Fellow of the American Academy of Emergency Medicine; Overseas Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine; Chief Executive Officer and Editiorial Director, PEPID, LLC; Founder and Chairman, The Unicorn Children's Foundation

Mark Rosenbloom, MD, MBA, FAAEM is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American Academy of Emergency Medicine, and Royal Society of Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Specialty Editor Board

Richard Lavely, MD, JD, MS, MPH  Lecturer in Health Policy and Administration, Department of Public Health, Yale University School of Medicine

Richard Lavely, MD, JD, MS, MPH is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Emergency Physicians, American College of Legal Medicine, and American Medical Association

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

John T VanDeVoort, PharmD  Regional Director of Pharmacy, Sacred Heart and St Joseph's Hospitals

John T VanDeVoort, PharmD is a member of the following medical societies: American Society of Health-System Pharmacists

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Fred Harchelroad, MD, FACMT, FAAEM, FACEP  Director of Medical Toxicology, Allegheny General Hospital

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

John D Halamka, MD, MS  Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; Chief Information Officer, CareGroup Healthcare System and Harvard Medical School; Attending Physician, Division of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

John D Halamka, MD, MS is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Emergency Physicians, American Medical Informatics Association, Phi Beta Kappa, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

Asim Tarabar, MD  Assistant Professor, Director, Medical Toxicology, Department of Emergency Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine; Consulting Staff, Department of Emergency Medicine, Yale-New Haven Hospital

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

References

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