What happens if you overdose on tricyclic antidepressant?
Tricyclic antidepressant overdose is poisoning caused by excessive medication of the tricyclic antidepressant (TCA) type. Symptoms may include elevated body temperature, blurred vision, dilated pupils, sleepiness, confusion, seizures, rapid heart rate, and cardiac arrest.
How does TCA cause cardiotoxicity?
Poisoning by tricyclic antidepressants may cause fatal arrhythmia attributable to blockade of cardiac sodium channels, causing prolongation of the cardiac action potential, refractory period, and atrioventricular conduction.
What happens during an amitriptyline overdose?
The abnormal findings in amitriptyline overdosage include anticholinergic symptoms (pupil dilatation, tachycardia, urinary retention, etc.), cardiac complications (a prolonged QTc interval or QRS duration, sinus tachycardia), respiratory depression/insufficiency, hypotension, impaired consciousness (from lethargy to …
Why does TCA overdose cause acidosis?
Gastrointestinal absorption may be delayed because of inhibition of gastric emptying and significant enterohepatic recirculation prolongs the final elimination. The amount of unbound tricyclic may also increase if the overdose causes respiratory depression resulting in an acidosis, which reduces protein binding.
Why does TCA overdose cause seizures?
They also block alpha receptors peripherally and thus can cause hypotension. Furthermore, they block neurotransmitter reuptake (norepinephrine, serotonin) at central presynaptic terminals, and this may be the mechanism by which seizures are induced by TCA overdose.
Is nortriptyline overdose fatal?
TCAs also lower the seizure threshold and can exacerbate manic excitements. Death in TCAs overdose is usually due to central nervous system and cardiotoxic effects….Human.
| Drug | Reported fatal dose | Probable oral fatal dose |
|---|---|---|
| Nortriptyline | 5 (Extremely toxic) | 5–50 mg kg−1 |
| Protriptyline | 5 (Extremely toxic) | 5–50 mg kg−1 |
What do you give for TCA overdose?
Administration of sodium bicarbonate might be beneficial for patients with severe or life-threatening TCA toxicity if a prehospital protocol exists for its use (Grades B/D). Benzodiazepines are recommended for TCA-associated convulsions (Grade D).
What amitriptyline overdose feels like?
Overdose of amitriptyline and other tricyclic antidepressants is characterized, in part, by anticholinergic effects such as coma, respiratory depression and tachycardia, along with consequences of sodium channel blockade, including prolongation of the QRS complex and negative inotropy [1].
How does TCA overdose cause seizures?
Furthermore, they block neurotransmitter reuptake (norepinephrine, serotonin) at central presynaptic terminals, and this may be the mechanism by which seizures are induced by TCA overdose. Probably their most important pharmacologic effect in terms of mortality is myocardial sodium channel blockade.