Common Specific Antidotes
Toxin | Antidote |
|---|---|
N | |
Anticholinergic drugs | |
Coagulation factor Xa [recombinant], inactivated Andexanet alfa | |
Antifreeze (ethylene glycol type) | Ethanol |
Beta-blockers | IV lipid emulsion |
Lactrodectus antivenom | |
Botulism | Botulinum antitoxin |
Calcium channel blockers | Calcium IV lipid emulsion |
Cyanide | |
Heavy metals (such as arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury, and zinc) | |
Insecticides† (many brands, which may contain carbamates and organophosphates)—ingredients should be checked) | Pralidoxime |
Iron | |
Methanol (wood alcohol) | Ethanol |
Methemoglobin‡-forming agents (such as aniline dyes, some local anesthetics, nitrates, nitrites, phenacetin, sulfonamides) | |
Scorpion sting (only the Centruroides species) | Centruroides immune fractionated antibodies |
Snakebites§ (rattlesnakes and copperheads in the United States) | Rattlesnake (Crotalinae) antivenom |
Sulfonylurea | |
Thallium | Prussian blue |
Tricyclic antidepressants | |
L-Carnitine¶ | |
Vitamin K Fresh frozen plasma (FFP) Prothrombin complex concentrate (PCC) | |
* Use is controversial. | |
† The antidotes cited are for carbamate and organophosphate insecticides only. | |
‡ Methemoglobin is an abnormal form of hemoglobin that is produced by certain poisons. Unlike normal hemoglobin, methemoglobin does not carry oxygen so the body's tissues do not get enough oxygen. | |
§ Antivenom is specific to the species of snake. There are many antivenoms, but rattlesnakes and copperheads cause most poisonous snakebites in the United States. | |