Medication 7-022 - Activated Charcoal (Actidose)

CMH EMS & MIH Protocols

Scope of Practice:

• Registered Nurse
• Paramedic
• Community Paramedic

Route(s):

• PO,

Pharmacodynamics (class and mechanism of action):

• Adsorbent (adsorbs toxins by chemical binding and prevents gastrointestinal absorption).

Pharmacokinetics:

• Half-life: Unknown.
• Onset time: Immediate.
• Peak action time: Unknown.
• Duration of action: Unknown.

• Peak	1	minutes
  Duration	1	minutes

Dosing:

• Refer to specific protocol(s) below for dose(s).

Indications:

• Not in current protocols.

Contraindications:

• No gag reflex.
• Any altered mental state.
• Ingestion of acids, alkalis, ethanol, methanol, Cyanide, iron salts, lithium, Pesticides, petroleum products.
• Acetaminophen overdose unless the receiving hospital has IV antidote.
• GI obstruction.

Preganancy Risk Factor:

• Category C
• Risk not ruled out: Animal reproduction studies have shown an adverse effect on the fetus and there are no adequate and well-controlled studies in humans, but potential benefits may warrant use of the drug in pregnant women despite potential risks. FDA requires a relatively large amount of high-quality data on a pharmaceutical for it to be defined as Pregnancy Category A. As a result of this, many drugs that would be considered Pregnancy Category A in other countries are allocated to Category C by the FDA.

Potential Incompatibilities:

• NA.

Precautions and Adverse Effects:

• Aspiration may cause pneumonitis.
• May cause nausea, vomiting, constipation, diarrhea.

Antidote:

• NA.

Controlled Substance Information:

• Not a scheduled drug
• The DEA and FDA have not identified this drug with a schedule classification.
• DEA number: NA.
• Narcotic: No.
• Street names: NA.

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Polk, Hickory, Cedar, & St Clair County EMS Protocols is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.