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This type of adverse effect that results from pharmaceutical drug exposure is commonly due to interactions of the drug with its intended target. In this case, both the therapeutic and toxic targets are the same. To avoid toxicity during treatment, many times the drug needs to be changed to target a different aspect of the illness or symptoms.
Negative values of the decimal logarithm of the median lethal dose LD 50 (−log 10 (LD 50)) on a linearized toxicity scale encompassing 11 orders of magnitude. Water occupies the lowest toxicity position (1) while the toxicity scale is dominated by the botulinum toxin (12). [107] The LD 50 values have a very wide range.
Some unaltered drugs, such as penicillin, will bind avidly to proteins. Others must be bioactivated into a toxic compound that will in turn bind to proteins. The second criterion of cellular damage can come either from a toxic drug/drug metabolite, or from an injury or infection. These will sensitize the immune system to the drug and cause a ...
Even less safe are drugs such as digoxin, a cardiac glycoside; its therapeutic index is approximately 2:1. [12] Other examples of drugs with a narrow therapeutic range, which may require drug monitoring both to achieve therapeutic levels and to minimize toxicity, include dimercaprol, theophylline, warfarin and lithium carbonate.
While fatal overdoses are highly associated with drugs such as opiates, cocaine and alcohol, [2] deaths from other drugs such as caffeine are extremely rare. [21] This alphabetical list contains 634 people whose deaths can be reliably sourced to be the result of drug overdose or acute drug intoxication.
Diversion, abuse, and a relatively high rate of overdose deaths in comparison to other drugs of its group. This drug continues to be available in most of the world including the US, but under strict controls. Terfenadine (Seldane, Triludan) 1997–1998 France, South Africa, Oman, others, US Prolonged QT interval; ventricular tachycardia [2] [3]
Alcohol can exacerbate the symptoms and may directly contribute to increased severity of symptoms. The reasons for toxicity vary depending on the mixture of drugs. Usually, most victims die after using two or more drugs in combination that suppress breathing, and the low blood oxygen level causes brain death.
In toxicology, the median toxic dose (TD 50) of a drug or toxin is the dose at which toxicity occurs in 50% of cases. [1]: 73 The type of toxicity should be specified for this value to have meaning for practical purposes.