What Will Happen If You O.d. On Albuterol? Can It Lead To Infant Death?
The doctor presicrbed an albuterol dose of 5cc albuterol and 5cc saline not premixed for every 4 hours for a week straight for my infant daughter. I went back to get more when she was on her last dose.When I got there the pharamist said that was too high of a dose and had it switched to half of a 2.5 premix every 4 hours but could the 5cc alburterol and 5cc of saline have kill her? Or at least lead up to her death. Because she passed away the moring I got the meds fixed. She was born on July 12 2005 and passed Oct 22 2005.She passed on the neb.Do I have a chance of a case?Can albuterol cause death?
Sorry to hear this…..
WHOA….5 cc albuterol is a huge dose. Are you sure you didn’t mean 5 mg Albuterol in 5 cc saline? We give adults at our hospital 2.5 mg of Albuterol mixed with 3cc of saline at most every 4 hours (sometimes more if it is a very, very severe respiratory illness that warrants). 2.5 mg equates to about just under 1cc (i will fact check this to make sure at work). Only in rare cases do we give adult patients a dose like your talking about (like severe asthma attacks, respiratory failures, etc. and these treatments will last for an hour at a time) On infants, we do give albuterol, but in a 1.25 mg dosage given by blowby, meaning it simply blows by the face. Even then we closely monitor heart rate since albuterol does have the side effect of increased heart rate, blood pressure, and even bronchospasm in rare cases. IMO, that dose was way out of line.
There could have been something else wrong that wasn’t picked up, but I would seek legal council nonetheless.
Again, sorry for the loss.
I feel sorry for you
FWIW as an adult my albuterol dose was 4 ea. 3 mil nebs per day and that was too much for my system
Actually I wish all the brochial med companies could be sued for overdosing people
I know that albuterol raised my blood pressure waay up, One friend has a ruptured aorta, another had a stroke with bronchial meds
At the end there is a list of “side effects” and “overdose”http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/drugi…
Lots of luck to you hope you win
You can definitely OD on it. That is a high dose for an infant not in the hospital under constant watch. Albuterol has effects on the heart and can speed up the heart rate. If taken that frequently at that dose, I guess it is possible for her heart to tire out. It’s hard to say, though. She should have an autopsy and that will tell you the cause of death. If it was heart related it could have been from the Albuterol. The saline has nothing to do with it except it distills the Albuterol. It could be the doctor’s fault, but it lies in the hands of the pharmacist who filled the prescription as well. I am so sorry about your loss and I hope you get answers soon. God bless you.
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