Drug Overdose Glossary of Terms

Abdominal: Relating to the abdomen, the belly, that part of the body that contains all of ...

Abdominal pain: Pain in the belly. Abdominal pain can be acute or chronic. It may reflect ...

Activated charcoal: Charcoal that has been heated to increase its ability to absorb molecu...

Airway: The path that air follows to get into and out of the lungs. The mouth and nose are...

Antidote: A drug that counteracts a poison.

Anxiety: A feeling of apprehension and fear, characterized by physical symptoms such as pa...

Asthma: A common lung disorder in which inflammation causes the bronchi to swell and narro...

Blood pressure: The blood pressure is the pressure of the blood within the arteries. It is...

Bowel: The small and large intestine.

Brain: The portion of the central nervous system that is located within the skull. It func...

Breathing: The process of respiration, during which air is inhaled into the lungs through ...

Carbon monoxide poisoning: A potentially deadly condition caused by breathing carbon monox...

Cathartic: A laxative.

Chest: The area of the body located between the neck and the abdomen. The chest contains t...

Chest pain: Pain in the chest that can be a result of many things, including angina, heart...

Chronic: In medicine, lasting a long time. A chronic condition is one that lasts 3 months ...

Chronic disease: A disease that persists for a long time. A chronic disease is one lasting...

Coma: A state of deep, unarousable unconsciousness. A coma may occur as a result of head t...

Detoxify: To reduce or eliminate the toxicity of a substance or poison. To promote the rec...

Diarrhea: A common condition that involves unusually frequent and liquid bowel movements. ...

Emergency department: The department of a hospital responsible for the provision of medica...

Gastric: Having to do with the stomach.

Heart: The muscle that pumps blood received from veins into arteries throughout the body. ...

Injury: Harm or hurt. To harm, hurt, or wound. The word injure may be in physical or emot...

Intervention: The act of intervening, interfering or interceding with the intent of modify...

Ipecac: A naturally occurring substance with multiple properties including the ability to ...

Laboratory: A place for doing tests and research procedures, and for preparing chemicals a...

Lavage: Washing out. Gastric lavage, for example, is the washing out of the stomach to rem...

Lethal: Deadly.

Liver: The largest solid organ in the body, situated in the upper part of the abdomen on t...

Lungs: The lungs are a pair of breathing organs located with the chest which remove carbon...

Metabolism: The whole range of biochemical processes that occur within a living organism. ...

Nausea: Stomach queasiness, the urge to vomit. Nausea can be brought on by many causes, in...

Organ: A relatively independent part of the body that carries out one or more special func...

Organ failure: The failure of an essential system in the body. Multiple organ failure is t...

Pain: An unpleasant sensation that can range from mild, localized discomfort to agony. Pa...

Pharmacy: A location where prescription medications are sold. A pharmacy is constantly sup...

Poison: Any substance that can cause severe organ damage or death if ingested, breathed in...

Poison control center: A special information center set up to inform people about how to r...

Poisoning: Taking a substance that is injurious to health or can cause death. Poisoning i...

Psychiatric: Pertaining to or within the purview of psychiatry, the medical specialty conc...

Pulse: The rhythmic dilation of an artery that results from beating of the heart. Pulse is...

Recurrence: The return of a sign, symptom, or disease after a remission. The reappearance ...

Respiratory: Having to do with respiration.

Respiratory rate: The number of breaths per minute or, more formally, the number of moveme...

Shortness of breath: Difficulty in breathing. Medically referred to as dyspnea. Shortness ...

Stomach: The digestive organ that is located in the upper abdomen, under the ribs. The upp...

Stool: The solid matter that is discharged in a bowel movement.

Substance: 1. Material with particular features.
2. The material that...

Substance abuse: The excessive use of a substance, especially alcohol or a drug. (There is...

Therapeutic: Relating to therapeutics, the branch of medicine that is concerned specifical...

Therapy: The treatment of disease. Therapy is synonymous with treatment.

Trauma: A physical or emotional injury.

Vital: Necessary to maintain life. For example, breathing is a vital function.

Vitamins: The word "vitamin" was coined in 1911 by the Warsaw-born biochemist Casimir Funk...

Vomit: Matter from the stomach that has come up into and may be ejected beyond the mouth, ...