Children have weaker immunity than adults and cannot clearly describe symptoms after taking the wrong medicine, which greatly worries guardians. When discovering accidental drug intake, parents must stay calm and refrain from scolding or hitting the child. Crying will prevent the child from explaining the situation truthfully and waste precious rescue time. Four core emergency principles shall be kept firmly in mind: rapid toxin elimination, reduced absorption, timely detoxification and symptomatic treatment.

First, watch out for abnormal behaviors indicating accidental ingestion. If the child swallows sleeping pills or sedative-containing antihypertensive drugs, symptoms such as lethargy and drowsiness will appear. Once such signs are spotted, immediately check whether household adult medicines have been touched. Meanwhile, figure out the specific type of drug, the time of ingestion and the approximate dosage. Mastering these details facilitates targeted rescue.

After confirming accidental drug intake, conduct preliminary first aid before hospital transfer. Induced vomiting and gastric lavage are the two major emergency interventions. To induce vomiting, stimulate the pharynx with fingers to expel gastric contents. If the stomach contains little substance and vomiting cannot be triggered, give the child water to drink. Folk remedies like salty spicy soup are forbidden. The standard water dosage is 10–15 milliliters per kilogram of body weight.

For adults, stimulate the base of the tongue with fingers after drinking water to induce vomiting. For young children, rest the child’s abdomen on the rescuer’s knee and lower the head. Insert fingers into the child’s throat to gently press the tongue root repeatedly until vomiting occurs. If the child vomits while lying down, place them in a lateral position to avoid airway blockage by vomit, and wipe residual vomit out of the mouth right after vomiting.

Targeted interventions vary based on the type of swallowed drugs:

Small doses of common mild medicines

For ordinary Chinese patent medicines or vitamins in small quantities, let the child drink plenty of cool boiled water to dilute the drug and accelerate excretion via urine.

Large doses of highly toxic or high-side-effect medicines

Medicines such as contraceptives and sleeping pills fall into this category. Rush the child to hospital without delay. In extreme emergencies with no time for hospital transfer, induce vomiting immediately, then administer strong tea or soapy water for repeated vomiting and gastric lavage. After lavage, offer several cups of milk and 3 to 5 raw egg whites to protect the gastric lining and neutralize toxins.

Topical liquids (tinea lotion, anti-itch lotion, mosquito repellent)

Make the child drink copious strong tea. Tannins in tea can precipitate toxic substances and exert detoxifying effects.

Organophosphorus pesticide poisoning

A distinctive garlic odor will be detectable on exhaled breath. Administer soapy water to induce repeated vomiting for detoxification and send the child to hospital at once.

Highly corrosive chemicals

Corrosive agents may cause gastric perforation. Professional first aid must be administered by personnel with medical knowledge during hospital transit.

Lysol or carbolic acid ingestion: Vomiting induction is prohibited. Give large amounts of raw egg whites, milk, thick rice soup, soybean milk or vegetable oil. These substances adhere to the esophageal and gastric mucosa to mitigate corrosive damage.

Iodine tincture ingestion: Feed starch-rich liquids such as rice soup or noodle soup.

Unknown ingested substance

Grind charcoal or charred steamed bun crumbs, mix with strong tea and feed the mixture to the child. Charcoal adsorbs toxins to achieve detoxification.