Sleeping pills donormil. Overdose of sleeping pills: symptoms, treatment, can it be fatal

An overdose of sleeping pills occurs as a result of improper intake of the drug or during suicide attempts. It so happens that a person has trouble sleeping. In this case, it is worth contacting a specialist for advice and for prescribing treatment.

Medications designed to combat insomnia should only be used as directed by a physician to avoid negative effects.

By the way, at present, such medicines are not dispensed without a prescription, but even in this case, the indicated dosage should not be exceeded.

Groups of sleeping pills

Medicines with a hypnotic effect are divided into several groups. At the same time, drugs have different properties and effects.

  • Barbiturates. These are medicines that are derivatives of barbituric acid. These include phenobarbital, cyclobarbital, thiopental. These medicines belong to the first generation. Currently, experts question their use due to the fact that they are quite addictive and possess large quantity side effects... It should be remembered that any sleeping pill from this group is a potent remedy.
  • Benzodiazepines. This group includes drugs such as fenozepam, nitrazepam, relanium. These are second generation drugs. Their side effects are much smaller and not as severe as those of the previous group. However, such sleeping pills are also rapidly addictive. In addition, it is rather difficult for a person to endure the withdrawal of the drug.
  • Bromides. These drugs have a sedative effect. These include potassium or sodium bromide, as well as an agent such as brominated. An overdose of medications leads to inhibition of the activity of the brain and central nervous system.
  • Antihistamines - suprastin, doxylamine, diphenhydramine. These funds not only help to relieve the manifestation of allergies, but also act in a different way. Quite often, their intake is accompanied by severe drowsiness and lethargy. Therefore, they need to be used only as directed by doctors, although many of the drugs in this group can be freely purchased at the pharmacy.
  • New generation sleeping pills are generally considered the safest drugs. These are medicines created closer to the end of the twentieth century and taking into account all the previous negative factors. For example, zolpidem, zaleplon, melaxen. The latter, by the way, is considered the safest, and even its overdose does not pose a great danger to the body.

Despite the fact that currently doctors can prescribe drugs that do not pose a danger to a person, an overdose can still lead to rather sad consequences, such as fatal outcome.

What will help us sleep

When contacting a doctor with sleep problems, any person wants to get exactly the medicine that will help. Modern specialists most often prescribe the following drugs:

  • Melaxen. The medicine is considered to be quite safe. Copes with insomnia and helps with sleep disturbances when changing time zones. You can buy it without a prescription, but don't self-medicate.
  • Sanwal. A person falls asleep rather quickly, while sleep is rather long and calm. However, you should not take this medication for a long time, it is possible to get used to it.

There are other drugs that have a small number of side effects, but they do their job.

Signs and symptoms of intoxication

Poisoning with sleeping pills is quite dangerous for the human body. Without correct treatment the result of such poisoning can be death.

In case of intoxication with such drugs, a person experiences certain symptoms, which you should definitely pay attention to:

  • lethargy, apathy appears.
  • relaxation of all muscles occurs, the person falls asleep.
  • rather severe lethargy,
  • there is a lack of coordination,
  • the appearance of seizures is possible,
  • respiratory function is suppressed, it becomes difficult,
  • heart rate slows down
  • pressure drops sharply.

It is worth paying attention to the fact that if a fairly large amount of medicine is taken, then all the symptoms appear very quickly. If at the same time no one is around, then the person may fall asleep and not wake up.

The lethal dosage of sleeping pills for any person is different, because the state of the body and the susceptibility of drugs is different for everyone.

Overdose is quite dangerous, so you should be careful when taking these medications.

First aid and treatment

If you find any symptoms of intoxication with sleeping pills, you need to call the doctors as soon as possible. Before they arrive, it is necessary to provide the victim with first aid:

  • Rinse the stomach with plenty of water (about 2 liters).
  • Give the victim a drink of sorbents such as activated charcoal.
  • It is worth trying not to let the poisoned person fall asleep. It is necessary that before the arrival of the ambulance the person remains conscious.

Further treatment should be carried out in a hospital. At the same time, doctors use ventilation of the lungs, if necessary, wash the stomach again, and perform hemodialysis. Later, doctors can prescribe various means to restore the functionality of internal organs that could have suffered from intoxication.

Overdose of sleeping pills: consequences

Overdose can have quite negative consequences. So, for example, diseases of the lungs, nervous system can occur. In addition, in the future, violations of the functionality of the heart system, kidneys, and liver may occur. Any poisoning also negatively affects the functioning of the digestive system.

Can you die from an excess of such medicines? Yes. An overdose of sleeping pills can cause death of a person, therefore, the use of such medications should be accompanied by care and caution.

You cannot take such medications just like that, you should also not self-medicate. If signs of intoxication are found, it is necessary to provide the victim with the necessary assistance and deliver him to a medical institution.

Sleeping pills are drugs that can depress the central nervous system... There are several types of these medications - sedatives, barbiturates, and benzodiazepines. These include: donormil, melaxen, sonmil and many others. The main emergency conditions are associated precisely with the use of sedatives (donormil), although they are the safest.

There are three types of hypnotics - sedatives, barbiturates, and benzodiazepines.

Accidental overdose of sleeping pills is a common occurrence in which death can occur. Such a drug is available in tablets and has a number of indications and contraindications which should be followed. It is categorically impossible to take these medications unless absolutely necessary.

Overdose and signs of drug poisoning

In case of an overdose, there is:

  • severe lethargy;
  • the victim's movements and thoughts slow down;
  • the patient loses consciousness.

High doses lower blood pressure and cause:

  • bradycardia (decrease in the number of heart contractions);
  • stopping blood circulation;
  • bradypnea (rare breath);
  • coma.

You cannot take sleeping pills unless absolutely necessary.

If you do not provide first aid to the injured in time, it may be fatal.

Treatment

Drugs that have a hypnotic effect (donormil, novo-passit, melaxen) have properties that are quickly absorbed into the stomach, therefore, in order to avoid sad consequences, it is necessary urgent help medical professional.

  • Urgent transportation to the toxicology department of the hospital.
  • Ventilation of the lungs and, if necessary, tracheal intubation.
  • Gastric lavage through a tube.
  • Introduction of one of the sorbent (enterosgel, white or activated carbon).
  • Infusion therapy (vein puncture, venesection, catheterization of large veins).
  • Hemodialysis.
  • Hemisorption.
  • Symptomatic therapy.
  • Specific therapy (flumazenil IV).
  • Non-specific drug therapy.


Urgent medical attention needed

Laboratory research:

  • Respiratory and metabolic acidosis.
  • A spectrophotometric method that allows you to determine the level of barbiturates in the blood.

Complications

  • Pneumonia (pneumonia) It is observed in 40% of patients who are in a coma.
  • Trophic disorders (necrotizing dermatomyositis, bullous dermatitis).
  • Septic complications.
  • Due to impaired cardiac activity, renal function may be impaired.
  • Intermittent neurological symptoms (in the post-comatose period).


Overdose of sleeping pills can have serious consequences

In addition to all the complications described above, patients may experience swelling of the extremities and atonic intestinal obstruction. The consequences of an overdose of the drug donormil depend on the amount harmful substances, entered the human body, as well as with the timely provision of medical care. A fatal consequence can be considered taking about ten therapeutic doses. In case of poisoning with potent sleeping pills, even with the use of modern intensive care, you can die.

Remember! long-term use of any drug, even without exceeding the prescribed dose, can cause accumulation in the human body and lead to a sad outcome.

You can regularly use the drug donormil (2-3 weeks in a row), and get severe poisoning. Harmful toxins that accumulate in the tissues of the body after taking a drug such as donormil interfere with the work of the heart. The misuse of the medication is especially dangerous for people suffering from hypotension (low blood pressure).

Medicines with a hypnotic effect are widely used. Most of them have a strong psychotropic effect, that is, the ability to influence the human psyche. For this reason, strong sleeping pills are available in pharmacies only with a doctor's prescription. Can you die from an overdose of sleeping pills? Yes, as experts note, poisoning caused by various groups of drugs with hypnotic effects is not uncommon. This happens when the drug is taken incorrectly, with suicidal attempts, in cases of unintentional overdose.

It is not recommended to use hypnotics on your own. There are many reasons for sleep disorders, therefore, specialist advice is required. He will select the right drug. We will not dwell on the benefits and dangers of drugs, talk about the appropriateness of their use. In this article we will look at the main types of sleeping pills, find out how they work and what will happen from an overdose of sleeping pills for each individual pharmacological group.

Groups of sleeping pills

In pharmacology, hypnotics are not isolated into a separate group. Different drugs have this effect, respectively, they will have a different mechanism of action and their own side effects.

Relatively harmless over-the-counter sleeping pills are herbal preparations and combined herbal remedies. These include:

These drugs are prescribed for sleep disorders due to increased anxiety, irritability, and nervousness. Their action is mild, based on a sedative effect.

There is also a conditional division of drugs into hypnotics of the first generation (barbiturates, bromides, antihistamines), the second (benzodiazepines) and the third (melatonin drugs, new drugs of different groups).

It should be noted that mankind has not yet invented the "ideal sleeping pill", so doctors are forced in each case to select a drug with maximum benefit for the patient and minimum side effects.

Let us dwell in more detail on the frequently used or dangerous representatives of the "sleeping pill kingdom".

Overdose with barbiturates

The sad first place in terms of the number of deaths is occupied by an overdose of sleeping pills from the group of barbiturates:

Barbiturates disrupt the activity of nerve cells, resulting in a depressing effect on the central nervous system. They slow down not only the mental activity of the brain, causing drowsiness, reducing the level of anxiety, but also have anticonvulsant properties, causing muscle relaxation.

Sleep caused by barbiturates is different from natural sleep. Often, patients are haunted by nightmares, the structure of sleep itself changes - the ratio of fast and slow phases.

Common side effects from barbiturates include:

In high doses, the drug causes depression of respiration and cardiovascular activity, which leads to the risk of death. The lethal dose of a sleeping pill from the group of barbiturates is only ten times higher than the therapeutic one. But with the provision of timely medical care, there are good chances to save the patient even with a hundredfold overdose.

Acute barbiturate poisoning is classified into four stages.

Benzodiazepine overdose

Benzodiazepines are similar in their mechanism of action to barbiturates - they also act on GABA receptors. They also disrupt normal sleep architecture and have a number of side effects:

  • muscle relaxation;
  • lethargy;
  • mental disorder.

Poisoning with hypnotics of this drug group occurs more often with suicide attempts. The difference from a therapeutic dose to a lethal dose is quite large - even an excess of a single dose dozens of times entails not very severe poisoning. The toxic effect is enhanced when taken together with alcohol.

The most acute reaction occurs with an overdose of the following drugs:

  • Diazepam;
  • Relanium;
  • "Relium".

This group includes "Midazolam" and "Zolpidem", as they have similar characteristics.

When poisoning with benzodiazepines, the following develop:

Coma and shortness of breath are rare, mainly when the effect of sleeping pills is increased by alcohol or other drugs that depress the central nervous system.

Bromide overdose

To this group sleeping pills relate:

  • "Bromized";
  • sodium or potassium bromide.

These drugs enhance the processes of inhibition in the cerebral cortex and have a calming effect.

Among the side effects, it is noted:

An overdose of sleeping pills from the bromide group is accompanied by impaired coordination of movements, dilated pupils, and increased heart rate.

Poisoning with sleeping pills "Bromizoval", possibly due to its ingestion in the amount of 20 grams. Strong inhibition of the central nervous system develops, the respiratory center is inhibited. Blood circulation is impaired, the level of oxygen in the blood falls. Intestinal paresis, kidney and lung damage may occur.

Antihistamine overdose

Drugs belonging to this group block histamine receptors. As a result, histamine, which is a "wakefulness mediator", loses its ability to act on the central nervous system. This group includes first generation antihistamines:

These medicines are available over the counter without a prescription. Promotes rapid falling asleep, but does not increase the duration of sleep. Side effects include drowsiness and daytime lethargy.

In case of an overdose of sleeping pills, this group of consequences can be expressed in dizziness, dry mouth, muscle tremors, blurred vision, nausea and increased sensitivity to light.

A new generation of sleeping pills

Currently, to normalize sleep, it is preferable to use drugs of a new generation, developed at the end of the 20th century. These include:

  • derivatives of cyclopyrrolones - "Zopiclone" (imovan);
  • derivatives of imidazopyridines ("Zolpidem");
  • derivatives of pyrazolopyrimidines ("Zaleplon").

Almost harmless sleeping pill - "Melaxen" (melatonin). This drug is able to normalize the stage of falling asleep, and the duration of sleep is already regulated by the natural production of melatonin. It does not have a negative effect on the structure of sleep, keeping all phases in a natural ratio. During the day, it does not affect the state of health, as it is quickly excreted from the body. Even a significant overdose of Melaxen does not lead to any serious consequences.

Indications for the use of sleeping pills

Why are sleeping pills needed? They are prescribed for sleep disorders. There are two main types:

  • violation of falling asleep;
  • violation of the duration of sleep, frequent waking up.

The answer to the question: "Is sleeping pills harmful or not?" can only be given by the attending physician. Of course, these drugs themselves have many negative aspects - addiction, impaired brain activity, residual effects. According to the WHO recommendations, it is advisable to use non-drug methods to normalize sleep - normalization of mental activity, relieving anxiety, working with a psychologist. But there are cases when the use of drugs is simply necessary and the harm from sleeping pills is insignificant, but the benefits are enormous.

We are often confronted with sleep disturbances. Many people resort to taking special medications for insomnia to combat this problem. There has not yet been created such a remedy that would induce sleep, which does not differ from the natural one. After all, the causes of the disorder can be associated with disruption of the functioning of organs, with emotional and physical fatigue. But still, from all existing funds, the sleeping pill Donormil is allocated.

Drug action

Donormil is a sleeping pill belonging to the group of antihistamines. Its effectiveness against insomnia is due to its effect on certain areas of the brain that are responsible for nervous excitement. This property can be found in allergy medications.

Unlike other over-the-counter sleeping pills, Donormil is completely safe and does not destroy brain cells. It is recommended for problems with falling asleep, constant anxiety, causeless anxiety, excessive nervous excitability. Donoromil has a pronounced sedative effect, which not only eliminates insomnia, but also improves the quality of sleep.

Sleeping pills Donormil can be insoluble and effervescent, intended to be dissolved in water. Take the remedy in a pill fifteen minutes before going to bed.

After taking it comes deep dream... It is important that the duration of sleep is at least seven hours, as early awakening makes a person disoriented, tired and inhibited.

Taking the drug is contraindicated for the following persons:

  • having prostate diseases;
  • suffering from angle-closure;
  • children under the age of fifteen;
  • the presence of intolerance to doxylamine and other ingredients;
  • pregnant women.

Sleeping pills Donormil with alcohol

Alcoholic beverages are prohibited while taking Donormil tablets. You should also exclude the ingress of alcohol in any form (for example, in sweets or medicines). The use of the drug with alcohol enhances the effect of sleeping pills. This significantly increases the likelihood of not waking up.

Lethal dose of sleeping pills Donormil

This drug has become the subject of interest of mentally unbalanced individuals. There is no more easy way send yourself to a world other than taking pills and not waking up. But so far no one has succeeded in doing this. Most often, such experiments end in disability and mental hospital. The lethal dose of the drug has never been established. Taking sleeping pills Donormil will not lead to death, however, it will cause severe intoxication of the whole organism.

Signs observed when using Donormil sleeping pills in case of overdose:

Despite the fact that many manufacturers mention the dangers of using large doses of sleeping pills for life, more often a person who has tried to take his own life becomes a patient in a psychiatric clinic.

Caveats

A light sleeping pill Donormil is released without a prescription, but you should not just start taking it. First you need to try to normalize sleep without the help of medication, and then see a doctor. If you have been prescribed Donormil, then it is not recommended to combine it with taking other antiallergic drugs. It is also not advised to drive and engage in work that requires excessive concentration of attention for several days after taking the drug.