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Pharmacy & Pharmacology vocabulary · Side Effects and Interactions

Overdose

Meaning in pharmacy & pharmacology, with examples

/ˈoʊvərˌdoʊs/nounCore term

In pharmacy & pharmacology, overdose means: An amount of a medicine or other substance that is more than the body can safely handle, taken by accident or on purpose, which can cause poisoning or death.

In Turkish: aşırı doz, doz aşımı, zehirlenme

How it is used

Used as a noun ('a paracetamol overdose') and a verb ('overdose on a drug'), and often shortened to OD in hospitals. Pharmacists help prevent accidental overdose by checking that patients are not taking the same ingredient in several products. Some overdoses have specific antidotes, such as naloxone for opioids.

Example sentences

  1. Accidental overdose is a risk when patients take several cold remedies that all contain paracetamol.

  2. A toddler was brought in after an accidental overdose of iron tablets.

Common collocations

  • accidental overdose
  • take an overdose
  • overdose on
  • treat an overdose
  • opioid overdose
  • toxicityThe harmful effects a drug or chemical has on the body, especially at high doses or blood levels, or the degree to which a substance is poisonous.
  • doseThe amount of a medicine taken or given at one time, such as one tablet, two puffs of an inhaler or 5 millilitres of a liquid.
  • opioidA strong painkiller that acts on opioid receptors in the brain and spinal cord, such as morphine, oxycodone, fentanyl, codeine or tramadol.
  • antagonistA drug that binds to a receptor without activating it and so blocks the effect of the body's own substances or of other drugs.

More terms: Side Effects and Interactions

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.