Health Encyclopedia

Campho-Phenique overdose

Definition

Campho-Phenique is an over-the-counter medication used to treat cold sores and insect bites.

Campho-Phenique overdose occurs when someone accidentally or intentionally takes more than the normal or recommended amount of this medication.

Poisonous Ingredient

Campho-Phenique contains both camphor and phenol.

For information on products containing camphor alone, see camphor overdose.

Where Found

The combination is found in Campho-Phenique. (However, camphor and phenol may be found separately in other products.)

Symptoms

Airways and lungs
- Irregular breathing
Bladder and kidneys
- Little or no urine output
Eyes, ears, nose, and throat
- Burning in the mouth or throat
Heart and blood vessels:
- Collapse
- Low blood pressure
- Rapid pulse
Nervous system:
- Agitation
- Coma
- Dizziness
- Hallucinations
- Muscle rigidity or muscle spasms
- Seizures
- Stupor
- Twitching facial muscles
Skin
- Bluish colored lips and fingernails
- Skin redness (from applying too much to the skin)
- Sweating (extreme)
- Yellow skin
Stomach and intestines
- Abdominal pain
- Diarrhea
- Excessive thirst
- Nausea and vomiting

Home Treatment

Seek immediate medical help. Do NOT make a person throw up unless told to do so by poison control or a health care professional.

Before Calling Emergency

Determine the following information:

Patient's age, weight, and condition
The name of the product (ingredients and strengths, if known)
When it was swallowed
The amount swallowed

Poison Control, or a local emergency number

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 United States 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. Symptoms will be treated as appropriate. The patient may receive:

Activated charcoal
Laxative

Expectations (prognosis)

Survival past 48 hours usually indicates recovery will occur. Onset of seizures is sudden and may occur within minutes of exposure.

Review Date:10/29/2007
Reviewed By:Eric Perez, MD, Department of Emergency Medicine, St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

ADAM Quality A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org). URAC's accreditation program is the first of its kind, requiring compliance with 53 standards of quality and accountability, verified by independent audit. A.D.A.M. is among the first to achieve this important distinction for online health information and services. Learn more about A.D.A.M.'s editorial process. A.D.A.M. is also a founding member of Hi-Ethics (www.hiethics.com) and subscribes to the principles of the Health on the Net Foundation (www.hon.ch).

The Agency for Health Care Administration (Agency) and this website do not claim the information on, or referred to by, this site is error free. This site may include links to websites of other government agencies or private groups. Our Agency and this website do not control such sites and are not responsible for their content. Reference to or links to any other group, product, service, or information does not mean our Agency or this website approves of that group, product, service, or information.

Additionally, while health information provided through this website may be a valuable resource for the public, it is not designed to offer medical advice. Talk with your doctor about medical care questions you may have.