How to Treat Mushroom Poisoning

The incidence of mushroom poisoning has steadily increased with the popularity of “natural” diets. There is no definite way of determining whether a wild mushroom is edible or poisonous without knowing its species. If you suspect your child has eaten a mushroom and you are not positive it was edible, treat it as if it were poisonous. Some mushrooms cause only mild stomach upset, some are fatal. Here are guidelines.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Gather any remaining mushrooms to bring to the doctor’s office or emergency room. If the child has only eaten a bit, bring the rest of the mushroom. If he has eaten a number of them, gather mushrooms from the same area for inspection.

2. Call your local poison control center, your doctor’s office or the National Capital Poison Center at [phone]. Call as soon as you suspect mushroom ingestion.

3. Transport the child to the emergency room if directed by your doctor or the poison control center. In addition, if you cannot contact a professional medical specialist by phone, take your child to the emergency room. It’s better to be safe than sorry.

4. Induce vomiting if directed by a poison control specialist. Keep a bottle of ipecac syrup on hand for such emergencies. Coax the child to drink as much fluid as possible in advance then administer the ipecac at the rate of one teaspoon for an infant, one tablespoon for a child up to 12 years old and up to two tablespoons for a child over 12 years of age.

5. Repeat the dosage of ipecac if the child does not vomit the entire contents of his stomach within 20 minutes. Usually the vomiting will occur within 5 minutes.

6. Monitor a child’s vital signs. Medical personnel will do this; however, you must take your child’s pulse and respiration count if you are without medical help. Count the beats of his heart per hour and record them, along with the time. Do the same for the number of breaths he takes.

Tips & Warnings

• It is imperative that your child receives medical attention as soon as possible. After vomiting, a doctor will administer liquid charcoal to absorb the toxins from your child’s system and allow them to pass through his eliminations.

Resources

• National Capital Poison Center

[HowardBThiname]

on 11/19/2008 Great article. Very informative.