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Author: Admin | 2025-04-28
We’ve all had that urge to take another pill when the ones you’ve already taken seem to not be working. But when is “one more pill” too much? What happens if you accidentally take too much medication? What are the symptoms of overdose? We explain it all in our article! By definition, an overdose is when a person takes more than the normal or recommended amount of a substance, whether it’s a prescription medication, over the counter, legal or illegal. Whether intentional or accidental, an overdose can result in serious, harmful symptoms or even death. The severity of the overdose depends on the substance taken, the amount, and the physical and medical history of the person affected. When you live with chronic illness, you may be affected by polypharmacy, or the simultaneous prescription of multiple drugs. Both medication and symptom management can be a challenge, so risk of accidental overdose can be raised in people living with multiple health conditions. What are the symptoms of a medicine or drug overdose? As mentioned above, the symptoms of a medicine or drug overdose vary on the person, the substance, and the amount taken. However, general symptoms may include: Drowsiness, dizziness, or weakness Nausea or vomiting Stomach pain Difficulty swallowing (dysphagia) Fever, chills (shivering) Difficulty breathing Excess production of saliva Blue lips and skin (cyanosis) Confusion Double or blurred vision Seizures Loss of consciousness Common medicines involved in overdoseOver-the-counter pain-relievers Imagine you’re sick with the flu. You’ve taken medicine to reduce your fever, and now you want to relieve your stuffy nose, cough, and your aches and pains. So, you reach for another bottle in your medicine cabinet. Does this sound familiar? If so, you may accidentally be putting yourself at risk of accidental overdose of over-the-counter (OTC) medication. Because they are safe and effective when taken as directed, OTC pain and fever reducers like NSAIDs (ibuprofen - Advil, Motrin, naproxen - Aleve, aspirin - Bayer, Excedrin) and acetaminophen (Tylenol) are often combined with other active ingredients in many medicines. It is important to be careful not to take more than one medicine
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