No abstract

Each year about twenty adults are admitted to this unit with acute and severe self-poisoning. Barbiturates are the usual drugs taken ; alternatives are the phenothiazines, antidepressants and benzodiazepins. The treatment of these patients follows the principles described by Clemmesen in 19631. On only one occasion since 1964 has treatment been required to correct a specific metabolic disorder; namely, prolonged hypoglycaemia due to poisoning by tolbutamide and salicylate2. Recently we resuscitated a patient with severe poisoning due to imipramine, where the anticholinergic effects of the drug required specific antidote treatment.