Principles of Toxicotherapy : General & Special Therapy

Appropriate therapies for commonly encountered poisonings, medication overdoses, and other toxicological emergencies are reviewed, with discussion of pharmacists' role in ensuring their ready availability and proper use. Antidotal therapy are general antidotal therapy(supportive and palliative care that palliative treatments may be used to alleviate the side effects of curative treatments, such as relieving the nausea associated with chemotherapy and enhance quality of life; is applicable early in the course of illness, in conjunction with other therapies that are intended to prolong life, such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy And special antidotal therapy is the use of any chemical or physiologic procedure used to prevent, minimize, or terminate the adverse effects associated with chemical toxicity or aberrant pathophysiologic processes. These antidotal procedures may alter the toxicity associated with an exogenous chemical (naloxone antagonism of opioid narcotics) or with endogenous substances (epinephrine reversal of histamineinduced anaphylaxis). The goal of this review is to provide essential information to guide the appropriate use of antidotes. Pharmacists can play a key role in reducing poisoning and overdose injuries and deaths by assisting in the early recognition of toxic exposures and guiding emergency personnel on the proper storage, selection, and use of antidotal therapies.