The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 269 No 7217 p461
28 September 2002

This article
Reprint
Photocopy

All you need to know about antidotes in a clear and useful format

‘Antidotes’, by Robert J. Flanagan and Alison L. Jones. Pp xv+326. Price £39.99. Hampshire: Taylor & Francis Books Ltd; 2001. ISBN 0 748 40965 3

This is a useful book with plenty of practical information which is well referenced. The text is easy to read and information is set out in a logical fashion. The many tables and a well cross-referenced index allow quick retrieval of data.

Detail is provided on a range of currently used antidotes and covers indications for use, dosage schedule, pharmacokinetic data, mechanism of action, adverse effects and evidence for use.

Chemical Abstracts Registry numbers of the antidotes reviewed are provided in many cases, along with chemical structures.

The book includes a useful table of antidotes to be held by acute hospitals and regional centres, and their indications for use. There is comprehensive information on the history of antidote development and an explanation of the principles facilitating their action.

Information is provided on the management of poisoning by toxic metals and organometallic compounds, bites and stings, paracetamol and numerous other medicinal agents, carbon monoxide, cyanide, paraquat, hydrogen sulphide and compounds used in chemical warfare.

Concise advice is given on the utility of preparations used to manage metabolic changes induced by overdose.

Additionally, useful detail is included which highlights the significance of interactions between specific antidotes and toxicological analysis tests, the dosage and form of common antidotes, an aid to help decide on the choice of antidote and a guide to the interpretation of analytical toxicology results.

Denise Robinson