Activated charcoal (medication) explained

See main article: Activated carbon.

Drug Name:Activated charcoal
Tradename:CharcoAid, others
Routes Of Administration:by mouth, nasogastric tube
Cas Number:7440-44-0
Unii:2P3VWU3H10
Chemspiderid:none

Activated charcoal, also known as activated carbon, is a medication used to treat poisonings that occurred by mouth. To be effective it must be used within a short time of the poisoning occurring, typically an hour. It does not work for poisonings by cyanide, corrosive agents, iron, lithium, alcohols, or malathion.[1] It may be taken by mouth or given by a nasogastric tube.[2] Other uses include inside hemoperfusion machines.

Common side effects include vomiting, black stools, diarrhea, and constipation. A more serious side effect, pneumonitis, may result if aspirated into the lungs.[3] [1] Gastrointestinal obstruction and ileus are less common but serious adverse effects.[3] Use in pregnancy and breastfeeding is generally safe.[2] Activated charcoal works by adsorbing the toxin.[3]

While charcoal has been used since ancient times for poisonings, activated charcoal has been used since the 1900s.[4] [5] It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines.[6]

Medical uses

Poison ingestion

Activated charcoal is used to treat many types of oral poisonings such as phenobarbital and carbamazepine. It is not effective for a number of poisonings including: strong acids or bases, iron, lithium, arsenic, methanol, ethanol or ethylene glycol.[7]

Although activated charcoal is the most commonly used agent for GI decontamination in poisoned patients, medical professionals use discretion when determining whether or not its use is indicated.[7] In a study of acute poisonings from agricultural pesticides and yellow oleander seeds, the administration of activated carbon did not affect survival rates.[8]

Gastrointestinal tract-related issues

Charcoal biscuits were sold in England starting in the early 19th century, originally as remedy to flatulence and stomach trouble.[9]

Tablets or capsules of activated carbon are used in many countries as an over-the-counter drug to treat diarrhea, indigestion, and flatulence.[10] There is some evidence of its effectiveness to prevent diarrhea in cancer patients who have received irinotecan.[11] It can interfere with the absorption of some medications, and lead to unreliable readings in medical tests such as the guaiac card test.[12] Activated carbon is also used for bowel preparation by reducing intestinal gas content before abdominal radiography to visualize bile and pancreatic and renal stones.[13] A type of charcoal biscuit has also been marketed as a pet care product.[14]

Other

Claims that activated charcoal will do things such as whiten teeth, cure alcohol-induced hangovers, and prevent bloating, are not supported by evidence.[15] [16] Activated charcoal cleanses also lack evidence and are considered pseudoscience.[17]

Side effects

Incorrect application (e.g. into the lungs) results in pulmonary aspiration which can sometimes be fatal if immediate medical treatment is not initiated.[18] The use of activated carbon is contraindicated when the ingested substance is an acid, an alkali, or a petroleum product.[19]

Mechanism of action

Activated charcoal is biologically inert. When in the presence of some poisons, activated charcoal adsorbs the chemical onto its surface, rendering it unable to interact with the body. This is possible due to its high surface area compared to its volume. [3]

History

The use of charcoal as a medicinal product can be traced back to Egypt in 1500 BC, where it was used to neutralise bad odours from wounds. By 400 BC, the Phoenicians used charcoal to improve the taste of water stored on ships by containing the water in charred barrels, indicating that an understanding of charcoal's ability to adsorb undesirable chemicals was present by this time. Activated charcoal in its current form was developed during the 18th century, first being used during the sugar refining process to remove coloured impurities from raw sugar.[20] Medical use of activated charcoal commenced in the early 19th century; an often-cited experiment demonstrating its properties was carried out in 1835, where a dosage of strychnine mixed with activated charcoal resulted in no symptoms of poisoning being observed.[21]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: WHO Model Formulary 2008 . 2009 . 9789241547659 . ((World Health Organization)) . Stuart MC, Kouimtzi M, Hill SR . 10665/44053 . World Health Organization . World Health Organization . free . 57 .
  2. Book: Hamilton R . Tarascon Pocket Pharmacopoeia 2015 Deluxe Lab-Coat Edition . 2015 . Jones & Bartlett Learning . 9781284057560. 469.
  3. Web site: Charcoal, Activated . The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists . 8 December 2016 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20161221011707/https://www.drugs.com/monograph/charcoal-activated.html . 21 December 2016.
  4. Book: Cecen F, Aktas Ö . Activated Carbon for Water and Wastewater Treatment: Integration of Adsorption and Biological Treatment. John Wiley & Sons. 9783527639458. https://books.google.com/books?id=ubVxmXZ0j8wC&pg=PT20. en. 1. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20161220133539/https://books.google.ca/books?id=ubVxmXZ0j8wC&pg=PT20. 2016-12-20. 2011-09-19.
  5. Book: Tascón JM . Novel Carbon Adsorbents. 2012. Elsevier. 9780080977447. 640. en. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20161220132844/https://books.google.ca/books?id=4gznEkPjNJMC&pg=PA640. 2016-12-20.
  6. Book: ((World Health Organization)) . World Health Organization model list of essential medicines: 21st list 2019 . 2019 . 10665/325771 . World Health Organization . World Health Organization . Geneva . WHO/MVP/EMP/IAU/2019.06. License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO . free .
  7. Web site: Charcoal, Activated . The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists . 23 April 2014 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20140522002026/http://www.drugs.com/monograph/charcoal-activated.html . 22 May 2014 .
  8. Eddleston M, Juszczak E, Buckley NA, Senarathna L, Mohamed F, Dissanayake W, Hittarage A, Azher S, Jeganathan K, Jayamanne S, Sheriff MR, Warrell DA . Multiple-dose activated charcoal in acute self-poisoning: a randomised controlled trial . Lancet . 371 . 9612 . 579–587 . February 2008 . 18280328 . 2430417 . 10.1016/S0140-6736(08)60270-6 .
  9. Book: Rolland JL . The Food Encyclopedia: Over 8,000 Ingredients, Tools, Techniques and People . Robert Rose . 2006 . 0-7788-0150-0 . 148.
  10. Book: Warts and all: straight talking advice on life's embarrassing problems . Stearn M . 2007 . Murdoch Books . London . 978-1-921259-84-5 . 333 . 2009-05-03 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20170910183018/https://books.google.com/books?id=aSRmxC47VNMC&printsec=frontcover#PPA333 . 2017-09-10 .
  11. Michael M, Brittain M, Nagai J, Feld R, Hedley D, Oza A, Siu L, Moore MJ . Phase II study of activated charcoal to prevent irinotecan-induced diarrhea . Journal of Clinical Oncology . 22 . 21 . 4410–4417 . November 2004 . 15514383 . 10.1200/JCO.2004.11.125 . free .
  12. Gogel HK, Tandberg D, Strickland RG . Substances that interfere with guaiac card tests: implications for gastric aspirate testing . The American Journal of Emergency Medicine . 7 . 5 . 474–480 . September 1989 . 2787993 . 10.1016/0735-6757(89)90248-9 .
  13. Jabar AA, Abbas I, Mishah N, Wazan M, Tomehy M . Effect of adding a capsule with activated charcoal to abdominal ultrasound preparation on image quality . Journal of Ultrasonography . 20 . 80 . e12–e17 . 2020-03-31 . 32320165 . 10.15557/jou.2020.0003 . Medical Communications Sp. z.o.o. . 7266072 .
  14. Web site: Charcoal Biscuit Cobs for Dogs 400g . Browns Pet Range . 2024-07-03.
  15. Brooks JK, Bashirelahi N, Reynolds MA . Charcoal and charcoal-based dentifrices: A literature review . Journal of the American Dental Association . 148 . 9 . 661–670 . September 2017 . 28599961 . 10.1016/j.adaj.2017.05.001 .
  16. Web site: Can activated charcoal help with hangovers? . WebMD . 13 March 2019 . en.
  17. Web site: Medlin S . Activated charcoal doesn't detox the body – four reasons you should avoid it . The Conversation . 26 November 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180613044653/https://theconversation.com/activated-charcoal-doesnt-detox-the-body-four-reasons-you-should-avoid-it-97899 . 13 June 2018 . 12 June 2018.
  18. Elliott CG, Colby TV, Kelly TM, Hicks HG . Charcoal lung. Bronchiolitis obliterans after aspiration of activated charcoal . Chest . 96 . 3 . 672–674 . September 1989 . 2766830 . 10.1378/chest.96.3.672 .
  19. Web site: Charcoal, Activated (Oral Route) Description and Brand Names . Mayo Clinic . 2024-06-10 . 2024-07-03.
  20. Web site: Charcoal is one of the most important substances ever discovered . 2023-08-02 . Office for Science and Society . en.
  21. Derlet RW, Albertson TE . Activated charcoal--past, present and future . The Western Journal of Medicine . 145 . 4 . 493–496 . October 1986 . 3538661 . 1306980 .

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Activated charcoal (medication)".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.