Poison Alerts

OVERVIEW Long relegated to the rear-view mirror of drug trends, psilocybin-containing mushrooms, also known as “magic mushrooms,” have made a strong comeback in the last 5 years. Psilocybin and psilocybin mushrooms were placed on Schedule 1 under the Controlled Substances…

Although carbon monoxide (CO) is universally recognized as a toxic gas, it continues to cause tens of thousands of unintentional, non-fire-related exposures in the US every year. True, it is odorless, colorless, and tasteless, so its presence is not easily…

Although the first of many GLP-1 agonists — exenatide, brand Byetta — was approved for type 2 diabetes in 2005, poison centers did not handle many exposure cases until several of these agents were approved for weight loss, and their…

Systemic Loxoscelism (Brown Recluse Spider Envenomation)  The brown recluse spider (Loxosceles reclusa), also known as the violin- or fiddleback spider, is capable of envenomating humans and is endemic to the Midwest and Southeast United States. This spider is found throughout…

Another unregulated drug is lurking around the shelves of energy drinks and beef jerky at your local convenience store. It is an antidepressant called tianeptine but has been dubbed “gas station heroin” because of its opioid-like effects at high doses.…

Missouri Poison Center provides a risk management safety net for the patient, the practitioner, and the health care facility. Our team has been managing aspirin overdose for more than 50 years. While we may not see as many aspirin overdoses…

Does this old chestnut of a mnemonic describe patients you have seen in the emergency room? These symptoms outline anticholinergic poisoning, a possible result of some plants and many drugs, one of the most common being diphenhydramine overdose. MANIFESTATIONS OF…

You give naloxone – a lot of naloxone – and the patient still has some CNS and respiratory depression and hypotension. What gives? Fentanyl has almost replaced heroin in recreational drugs, but the creators of such experiences are always trying…

Gabapentin (Neurontin®, others) is FDA-approved for partial-onset seizures, post-herpetic neuralgia, and restless leg syndrome; pregabalin (Lyrica®) for fibromyalgia, various painful neuralgias, and partial-onset seizures. Both have myriad off-label uses including chronic cough, migraine prophylaxis, pruritus, bipolar and anxiety disorders, hot…