repeated doses and the duration required may vary according to the duration of action of the toxic agent, which may be different from the duration of action of the antidote (e.g.Most antidote doses should be titrated to the required effect are not suitable for enhanced elimination.cannot be safely and effectively decontaminated before absorption.

cannot be managed by standard resuscitation, supportive care and monitoring.cause significant toxicity, that exceeds the potential harms of the antidote.the nature of the toxic agent(s) may be uncertain at the time of presentationĪntidotal therapy should be reserved for agents that:.can be difficult given the paucity of evidence of clinical effectiveness for many antidotes and the relative rarity of their use.Also, decontamination with Fuller’s Earth and Activated Charcoal is priority following significant paraquat exposure (highly life threatening, difficult to treat) However, certain antidotes may have benefit in cardiac arrest and during resuscitation (see below). In critically ill patients, resuscitation should take priority over antidotal therapy.For patients in peripheral locations, it is often safer and less expensive to transport an antidote to the patient, rather than the opposite.This is best coordinated on a regional basis. training and protocolization) is important to ensure they are used appropriately in conjunction with planning and monitoring of stocks, storage, and access. As a result stewardship of their use (e.g. Many antidotes are rarely used, prone to go out of stock and are expensive.insulin, atropine), but when used as ‘antidotes’ much higher doses may be required to correct the disturbance physiology resulting from intoxication. Some antidotes have established roles in other diseases (e.g.In most poisonings effective supportive care and monitoring will ensure a good outcome Antidotes have a surprisingly minor role in the management of most poisonings, their use is restricted to specific indications.decontamination and enhanced elimination respectively) They do not primarily affect the systemic absorption or removal of toxic agents from the body (i.e. Antidotes are agents that counteract the effects of a toxic agent on the body.

Paracetamol antidote dose