What may increase your risk for problems from poison exposure?
Many conditions, lifestyle choices, medicines, and diseases may increase your risk for a more serious problem from your symptoms. Be sure to tell your doctor if you have any of the following.
Conditions
- Younger than age 6
- Older than age 60
- Heart problems that have been present since birth (congenital)
- History of heart surgery
- History of seizures
- History of suicide attempts
Lifestyle choices
- Alcohol abuse or withdrawal
- Drug abuse or withdrawal
- Smoking or other tobacco use
Medicines
- Blood-thinning medicines, such as warfarin, heparin, and aspirin
- Drugs that have been used in date rapes, such as gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB), flunitrazepam (Rohypnol), and ketamine
- Diabetes medicines, such as oral hypoglycemics
- Heart medicines, such as calcium channel blockers
- Chemotherapy or radiation therapy
- Corticosteroids, such as prednisone
- Medicines to prevent organ transplant rejection
- Narcotics
- Tricyclic antidepressants
Diseases
- Angina
- Asthma
- Cancer
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Cystic fibrosis
- Diabetes
- Emphysema
- Heart failure
- Hemophilia
- High blood pressure (hypertension)
- Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection
- Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP)
- Kidney disease
- Liver disease
- Malnutrition or an eating disorder such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia
- Mental health problems
- Obesity
- Pheochromocytoma
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Scleroderma
- Sickle cell disease
- Stroke
- Thyroid disease
- Transient ischemic attack (TIA)
| Author: | Jan Nissl, RN, BS | Last Updated: October 5, 2007 |
| Medical Review: | William M. Green, MD - Emergency Medicine H. Michael O'Connor, MD - Emergency Medicine | |
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