If someone has swallowed a chemical that could be poisonous or taken a medication not prescribed to them or over the prescribed dose, you should respond quickly.
Get Help
- If the person is drowsy or unconscious, having a seizure, extremely agitated, having trouble breathing, or took large amounts of medicines or chemicals on purpose, call 911.
- If the person is acting normal and has no or mild symptoms call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 .
In both cases they will want to know:
- What did they swallow and do you have the container?
- How old is the person?
- How much do they weigh?
- How much did they swallow and how long ago?
- What symptoms do they have?
- What other medicines do they take and what health problems do they have?
Since fast response is needed, call 911 or Poison Control right away, even if you don’t know the answers to all of these questions.
Poisoning First Aid
Don’t wait to call for help while you do first aid. If you are able to reach 911 or Poison Control, follow their advice. If you are waiting for a response, follow these guidelines:
- Make sure the person doesn’t have more of the medicine or chemical in their mouth. If they swallowed a liquid and are alert, rinse their mouth with room temperature water.
- If they got a chemical or medicine in their eyes, rinse with room temperature water for 15-20 minutes. Take out contact lenses.
- If they got the chemical or medicine on their clothes or skin, remove the clothes and rinse skin with room temperature water and mild soap for 15 minutes.
- If they breathed something poisonous, move them to clean air. If you can’t move them, do not stay in an area with a poison in the air, since you could be poisoned too. Move out of the area and call 911.
- If you have the container, read it to see if there are any directions on what to do if someone is poisoned.