Mushroom poisoning: When to call an ambulance, when it is enough to swallow black coal
“Our most poisonous mushroom is the toadstool green. If you eat it, it can damage your liver and kidneys. In some cases, only a liver transplant will help, in exceptional cases a person can die as a result of poisoning with this mushroom,” says doctor Kateřina Kotíková, head of the Toxicology Information Center of the Prague General University Hospital.
“If you consume poisonous mushrooms, if they do not cause serious poisoning, they can cause severe dehydration due to diarrhea and vomiting.”
What is the first aid for mushroom poisoning?
If you suspect green toadstool poisoning, go to the hospital. Usually within 7-13 hours after eating the poisonous mushroom, the person becomes poisoned with persistent vomiting and diarrhea. Without effective help, serious damage to the liver and kidneys occurs within 24-36 hours, and a person is at risk of death.
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In general, for all mushroom poisonings, activated charcoal, which is also called black, should be administered. Drinking milk with mushroom poisoning is a myth and has no justification. The most you can expect is that drinking milk will make you vomit even more.
Self-treatment is sufficient for most fungi
Mushroom poisoning, with a visit from a green fly agaric, can usually be managed without fatal consequences. If it is poisoning by toadstools – these are those that have a tube cap on the bottom – the danger is not so great.
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“People can often manage these poisonings at home with activated charcoal. The patient should go to the doctor when there is a threat of dehydration, i.e. in case of diarrhea and vomiting. It is also a good idea to seek medical help when a small child or an elderly person is poisoned. They are at greater risk of dehydration and sometimes it is necessary to rehydrate them in the hospital,” explains Dr. Kotlíková.
Dandruff is always suspect
When someone eats mushrooms that have scales on the underside of the cap, there is always the risk of confusing them with a green toadstool, whether they were champignons, champignons, or champignons.
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“If you suspect that mushrooms have been mixed up, I advise you to go to the doctor as soon as possible and take with you the remains of mushrooms or a sample of biological material (vomit, stool). The doctor will then decide if it is necessary to carry out a toxicological examination or even to administer an antidote, which is an antidote. The antidote administered in case of green toadstool poisoning does not act directly against its toxins, but protects the liver in the form of substances obtained from milk thistle. It is administered intravenously in high doses. The drops or tablets that people have at home in the form of dietary supplements were definitely not enough,” adds Dr. Kotíková.
If you don’t know, call toxicologists
People usually know what mushrooms they have eaten. But it also happens that the mushrooms have already been cut, frozen or dried. Then, with symptoms of poisoning, they do not know exactly what they have consumed and should always go to the doctors.
If mushroom poisoning is suspected, it is possible to evaluate the patient’s situation with Toxicology Information Center on the emergency telephone numbers: 224 91 92 93 and 224 91 54 02. Information is not provided by experts here, nor are poisonings consulted by doctors from ambulances, hospital emergency services.