Poisoning

Overdosing on anything - whether it be alcohol, prescription drugs, over-the-counter medication or illegal drugs is playing russian roulette with your health, and potentially your life.

You may have overdosed on paracetamol in the past and been just fine afterwards - that may not be the case next time. Chemical overdoses really put a strain on your liver, and the damage may build up over a period of time. The liver can be really robust - after all, it's designed to to do the job it does, but it can (and will) only take so much abuse. Liver failure leads to eventual death and it is a slow and incredibly painful experience. By the time it's too late, you may be very regretful of what's happened, and have to deal with your friends and family seeing you become very ill. This may sound very serious and a bit like we're using scare tactics but it's the truth, and we wouldn't be doing our job very well if we didn't say it like it is.

Hospitals have antedotes for many poisonings - but not all - and they can only help you if you make yourself known fast enough. There is absolutely nothing you can do to help yourself or anyone else (at home) in the event of an overdose being taken. The National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) issues guidelines for a whole range of different illnesses - some of which can be treated at home. NICE strongly urges anyone who has taken an overdose, or suspects an overdose may have been taken (even if accidental) to contact a GP or accident and emergency department as soon as possible. Ideally you should take with you the packet of what's been taken and have some idea of how many have been swallowed.

Treatment will vary according to what has been taken, but will generally include several blood tests examining how much of the drug is in the system. Patients may or may not be offered a mental health assessment, depending on the policy of the hospital concerned.

Selfharm.co.uk would urge anyone considering overdose to think about the dangers - it's far better to attend A&E saying you feel like taking an overdose rather than going afterwards when it may be too late.

It's a risk not worth taking. Ever.