Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0036572 (seizures)
 80,221 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The emetic agent ipecac is widely used for the initial treatment of acute oral drug overdose. Its emetic and gastric evacuative efficacies have been studied extensively but its potential for pharmacologic interactions with various drugs and other possible poisons has not been explored. The purpose of this investigation was to determine if ipecac can alter the acute toxicity of two widely used drugs that act on the central nervous system, phenobarbital and theophylline. Ipecac syrup, 5 ml/kg, was administered by gavage to male Lewis rats either 1 hr before or 15 or 30 min after the start of an iv infusion of phenobarbital or theophylline. Control animals received the syrup vehicle only. Ipecac elicited vomiting-like behavior (frequent, wide opening of the mouth) for more than 1 hr. The drug infusion was stopped immediately after onset of the loss of righting reflex (phenobarbital) or maximal seizures (theophylline). Samples of cerebrospinal fluid, blood (for serum), and the brain were obtained at that time for analysis of drug concentrations. There were no significant differences between control and ipecac-treated animals with respect to the dose requirements and drug concentrations in cerebrospinal fluid, serum, and brain at the respective pharmacologic endpoint. It is concluded that ipecac has no apparent effect on the acute toxicity of phenobarbital and theophylline in rats.
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PMID:Systemic effect of ipecac on acute toxicity of phenobarbital and theophylline in rats. 257 54

To determine how frequently parents give ipecac syrup without medical consultation and what complications result from this practice, 8 months of telephone calls to a regional poison center for poisonings of children less than age 6 years (23,790 calls) and 3 years of medical records for children's poisonings from 21 hospitals (516 cases) were studied. The practice of using ipecac syrup without consultation ranged from 0.4% of poison center callers to 6.0% of hospital patients. Of the 137 parents who gave ipecac without consultation, only 4% gave ipecac syrup for a poisoning exposure for which its use was contraindicated. In one of these cases did medical complications such as aspiration, seizures, or gastrointestinal burns result. Hence, the practice of giving children ipecac syrup without medical advice was found to be relatively infrequent and rarely produced complications. The study pointed out the importance of educating parents about products for which ipecac syrup is contraindicated and about occasions when ipecac is unnecessary. In 61% of cases of poisonings, the parent gives ipecac before calling the poison center and learning that the child did not need the Ipecac. The study also suggested that improvements are needed in warning labels of particular products, and revisions and standardization of the labels found on different brands of ipecac syrup are essential for appropriate emergency care.
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PMID:Risk assessment of ipecac in the home. 286 Jun 33