Propoxyphene overdose


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Alternative Names

Propoxyphene hydrochloride; Dextropropoxyphene


Home Treatment

DO NOT INDUCE VOMITING.


Before Calling Emergency

Determine the following information:

  • The patient's age, weight, and condition
  • The name of the product (ingredients and strengths if known)
  • The time it was swallowed
  • The amount swallowed
  • If the medication was prescribed for the patient

Poison Control, or a local emergency number

They will instruct you if it is necessary to take the patient to the hospital. See Poison Control centers for telephone numbers and addresses. Take the container with you to the emergency room.




What to expect at the emergency room

Some or all of the following may be performed or given:

  • Gastric lavage  
  • Activated charcoal
  • Narcotic antagonist (multiple doses if needed)
  • Intravenous fluids
  • Monitoring of breathing
  • Treatment of other symptoms

Expectations (prognosis)

If an antidote can be given, recovery from an acute overdose occurs within 24 - 48 hours.



Review Date: 05/10/2005
Reviewed By: William D. Whetstone, M.D., Division of Emergency Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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