If someone takes the wrong medicine, dial 120 emergency services right away and perform preliminary first aid including vomiting induction and gastric lavage. Bring the medicine bottle, the patient’s vomit and contaminated residues to the hospital for doctors’ reference during transfer.

Inducing Vomiting: Stimulate the Throat with Fingers or Chopsticks

In emergencies, some people force patients to swallow dirty water or soil to trigger vomiting — these methods are extremely wrong, and dirty water may lead to lung infection.

The correct procedure: Use fingers or chopsticks to stimulate the patient’s throat to induce vomiting and expel medicines in the stomach. Afterwards, give the patient a large amount of clean water, then stimulate the throat again to expel residual medicine mixed with water.

Vomiting induction is forbidden if the patient is unconscious or experiencing convulsions.

Gastric Lavage: Drink Four to Five Cups of Clean Water

For patients requiring gastric lavage, ask them to drink four to five cups of clean water voluntarily. Lightly touch the throat with a toothbrush or chopsticks to trigger nausea and vomiting, so unabsorbed toxins can be discharged rapidly.

Transfer the patient to hospital without delay after vomiting induction and simple gastric lavage.

For families with children: Store all medicines in locked cabinets and keep the key safe. Educate older children that accidental ingestion of medicines can cause irreversible bodily harm.

Targeted First Aid for Different Types of Medicines

Iodine tincture ingestion

Immediately give starch-containing liquids such as batter or rice soup, then induce vomiting. Starch reacts with iodine to form non-toxic blue iodized starch. Repeat the process until vomit is clear, odorless and no longer turns blue, which means iodine in the stomach is mostly eliminated.

Sleeping pills or painkillers ingestion

Induce vomiting as soon as possible.

Strong corrosive substances (strong acid, strong alkali, carbolic acid) ingestion

Vomiting induction and gastric lavage are strictly prohibited. Give large quantities of raw egg whites or milk first. These substances attach to the esophageal and gastric mucosa to form a protective layer and prevent secondary corrosive damage.