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Chlormerodrin overdose

Basic

Alternative Names

Visual Reference

References

Young-Jin S. Mercury. In: Goldfrank LR, Flomenbaum NE, Lewin NA, et al, eds. Goldfrank's Toxicologic Emergencies. 8th ed. New York, NY: McGraw Hill; 2006:chap 96.

Baum CR. Mercury: Heavy metals and inorganic agents. In: Shannon MW, Borron SW, Burns MJ, eds. Haddad and Winchester's Clinical Management of Poisoning and Drug Overdose. 4th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007:chap 71.

Overview

Definition

Chlormerodrin is a water pill (diuretic) that contains mercury. It was once used to treat patients with heart failure. The drug is no longer used in the United States.

Chlormerodrin overdose occurs when someone accidentally or intentionally takes more than the normal or recommended amount of this medication.

This is for information only and not for use in the treatment or management of an actual poison exposure. If you have an exposure, you should call your local emergency number (such as 911) or the National Poison Control Center at 1-800-222-1222.

Poisonous Ingredient

Chlormerodrin (a form of mercury )

Where Found

Diurone
Katonil
Mercloran
Neohydrin
Oricur

Note: This list may not be all inclusive.

Symptoms

Abdominal pain
Breathing difficulty, severe
Dementia
Diarrhea
Drooling
Headache
Little or no urine output
Metallic taste
Red, inflamed areas in the mouth
Seizures
Shock
Swelling within the throat, may be severe
Thirst
Tremors
Vomiting

Treatment

Home Treatment

Before Calling Emergency

Determine the following information:

Patient's age, weight, and condition
Name of the product (ingredients and strengths, if known)
Time it was swallowed
Amount swallowed
If the medicine was prescribed for the patient

Poison Control, or a local emergency number

The National Poison Control Center (1-800-222-1222) can be called from anywhere in the United States. This national hotline number will let you talk to experts in poisoning. They will give you further instructions.

This is a free and confidential service. All local poison control centers in the United States use this national number. You should call if you have any questions about poisoning or poison prevention. It does NOT need to be an emergency. You can call for any reason, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

See: Poison control center - emergency number

What to expect at the emergency room

The health care provider will measure and monitor the patient's vital signs, including temperature, pulse, breathing rate, and blood pressure. Symptoms will be treated as appropriate. The patient may receive:

Activated charcoal
Fluids through a vein (IV)
Medicine to empty the bowels
Tube through the mouth into the stomach to wash out the stomach (gastric lavage )

Expectations (prognosis)

How well a patient does depends on the amount of poison swallowed and how quickly treatment was received. The faster a patient gets medical help, the better the chance for recovery.

Review Date: 2010-01-15 Reviewed By: Jacob L. Heller, MD, MHA, Emergency Medicine, Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle, Washington. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc. Keywords: ,health, care, provider, blood, symptoms, philadelphia, 2007, time, elsevier, saunders, pain, normal, condition, need, pressure, medical, age, heart, signs, hours, days, day, treated, well, patients, treat, determine, weight, talk, known, swelling, tube, depends, rate, water, vomiting, new, form, questions, vein, prevention, difficulty, recommended, urine, failure, better, give, abdominal, receive, clinical, further, monitor, week, once, fluids, note, medication, 911, young, free, areas, measure, quickly, recovery, appropriate, red, temperature, someone, 2006, reason, let, throat, centers, diarrhea, pulse, longer, chance, instructions, experts, anywhere, little, headache, name, actual, gets, takes, vital, service, wash, prescribed, confidential, product, hotline, ingredients, seizures, faster, 4th, list, received, gastric, york

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