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Drug Overdose

Drug Overdose Overview

Overdoses of drugs or chemicals can be either accidental or intentional. Drug overdoses occur when a person takes more than the medically recommended dose. However, some people may be more sensitive to certain medications so that the high end of the therapeutic range of a drug may be toxic for them.

Illicit drugs, used to get high, may be taken in overdose amounts when a person's metabolism cannot detoxify the drug fast enough to avoid unintended side effects.

Exposure to chemicals, plants, and other toxic substances that can cause harm are called poisonings. The higher the dose or the longer the exposure, the worse the poisoning. Two examples are carbon monoxide poisoning and mushroom poisoning.

  • People respond differently to a drug overdose. Treatment is tailored to the individual's needs.

  • Drug overdoses can involve people of any age. It is most common in very young children (from crawling age to about 5 years) and among teenagers to those in their mid-30s.



Next: Drug Overdose Causes »

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Drug Overdose

Drug Dependence & Abuse »

Drug Dependence & Abuse Overview

Drug abuse and drug dependence represent different ends of the same disease process.

Drug abuse is an intense desire to obtain increasing amounts of a particular substance or substances to the exclusion of all other activities.

Drug dependence is the body's physical need, or addiction, to a specific agent. Over the long term, this dependence results in physical harm, behavior problems, and association with people who also abuse drugs. Stopping the use of the drug can result in a specific withdrawal syndrome.

  • Drug abuse is a common problem that plagues all ethnic groups and social classes worldwide. Control of drug abuse is a top priority of the United States Surgeon General as outlined in the Healthy People 2010 goals for the nation.
  • Different people will be affected by drugs in different ways. Some people are more prone to addiction ...

Read the Drug Dependence & Abuse article »



Read What Your Physician is Reading on eMedicine

Injecting Drug Use »

The hypodermic syringe was invented in the mid-1800s. By the late 1800s and early 1900s in the United States, the public could purchase hypodermic needles and syringes legally, and opiates and cocaine were widely available.

Read More on eMedicine »

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