How To Identify a Lortab Overdose

When taking any kind of drug it is always a good idea to be aware of the signs of the body either reacting to it due to an allergy or reacting to there being too much of the drug in the system for the body to cope. That being said, these are the signs of a potential lortab overdose so you will then know that you or the person you are observing does require medical attention immediately.

First it is best to quickly remind people that lortab is prescribed in order to help deal with moderate to severe pain and it is known as an opioid pain reliever. It is made by combining both acetaminophen and hydrocodone and it is the hydrocodone that makes it an opioid medication. This type of medication is seen as being potentially highly addictive and it is partly due to this reason that being aware of the symptoms of an overdose is so important. Some of the symptoms listed below are similar to those that may be experienced by someone that is suffering from withdrawal symptoms associated with this drug and it is, therefore, very important that you know if they have taken too much or if they are in difficulty due to their body reacting to the drug leaving their system.

Symptoms of a lortab overdose.

There are several key symptoms of a lortab overdose for you to be aware of and medical help must be sought as soon as any of them are observed as there is a real danger of developing a serious medical condition and there is also the chance of death.

The key signs include: the skin feels cold and clammy, extreme drowsiness where it is extremely difficult to get any kind of a reaction from the person, very low blood pressure, the skin turning yellow, severe stomach pain, dark urine, problems with breathing at all including the appearance of blue lips, slow breathing, pulse rate gradually becoming slower, and finally cardiac arrest.

It should be noted that these are the main symptoms of a potential overdose and they are markedly different to those that are simply a reaction to the drug itself mainly due to the severity of them. It is important that you are able to differentiate between normal sweating caused by the drug and that which is more excessive and is a potential sign of an overdose.

Treatment of a lortab overdose.

In order to treat this life threatening problem the person must be taken to the nearest hospital as soon as possible to prevent any potential long-term damage to their body or to also save their life. One of the first treatments for those that are not in danger of cardiac arrest is to attempt to pump their stomach and induce vomiting. This will prevent some of the medication from entering the system and making the problem worse and this is the most common way to treat those who have taken what could be classed as only a slight overdose of the medication. Clearly if the person is suffering from breathing problems, then this will be dealt with on its own and the same can be said about the slower pulse rate or cardiac arrest.

Apart from pumping out the stomach, the patient may also be given charcoal as this will work by absorbing the drug and lowering the affects of it or they will be administered various medications that are designed to counteract the effect of the drug. The patient may then be given some initial treatment that is designed to counteract potential long-term health problems caused by the overdose with this centered around protecting organs such as the liver or kidneys that may have been damaged. Getting the correct medical attention immediately will manage to limit the potential long-term problems associated with an overdose of this drug.

Those are the main signs of a potential lortab overdose and due to the fact it can be fatal you must take the person to a hospital immediately to allow medical treatment to commence. Recovery is possible in the vast majority of cases, but there is the potential of some long-term health problems that would need constant attention due to the risk of the medication affecting various organs in the body and affecting their ability to work at their full capacity.