MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia: Peppermint oil overdose

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Peppermint oil overdose

Contents of this page:
Definition Poisonous Ingredient Where Found Symptoms Home Care	Before Calling Emergency Poison Control What to Expect at the Emergency Room Outlook (Prognosis)

Definition

This is poisoning from swallowing a large amount of peppermint oil.

Poisonous Ingredient

Menthol

Where Found

Peppermint oil is used as a flavoring agent in various products. It is also used:

As a germ-killing (antiseptic) product
As an anesthetic (numbing) product
In herbal medicine to relieve spasms

Note: This list may not be all inclusive.

Symptoms

Lungs
- Slow breathing
- Shallow breathing
- Rapid breathing
Gastrointestinal
Heart and blood
- Slow heartbeat
- Flushing
- Convulsions
Nervous system
- Unconsciousness
- Dizziness
- Depression
- Twitching
- Uncoordinated movement

Home Care

DO NOT make a person throw up unless told to do so by Poison Control or a health care professional. Seek immediate medical help.

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

Poison Control

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 U.S. 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.

Take the container with you to the hospital, if possible.

See National Poison Control center.

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. The patient may receive:

Fluids
Medicines to treat symptoms
A nasogastric (NG) tube thru the nose into the stomach to empty the stomach (gastric lavage)

Outlook (Prognosis)

Survival past 48 hours is usually a good sign that recovery will occur. If damage to the kidneys has occurred, it may take several months to heal.

Update Date: 3/13/2006

Updated by: Eric Perez, MD, Department of Emergency Medicine, St. Luke's-RooseveltHospital Center, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed HealthcareNetwork.

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