overdose
/ˈəʊvədəʊs
/noun
An excessive and dangerous dose of a drug: a fatal overdose of painkillers...
- Toxicology suggests that fatal overdoses usually involve combinations of drugs, often at therapeutic doses.
- Although safe in normal doses, an overdose of some tricyclic antidepressants can dangerously affect the heart rhythm.
- Antimalarials must be dosed carefully and kept in childproof containers because overdoses may be fatal in children.
verb [no object]
1Take an overdose of a drug: he was admitted to hospital after overdosing on cocaine...
- In other words, his body was not that of a child and therefore he was not overdosing on the drug.
- It says there are a significant number of cases involving people misreading instructions, and accidents involving children overdosing on prescription drugs.
- He'd killed himself with overdosing on drugs, I supposed.
1.1 [with object] Give an overdose to: I think he had a quack doctor who overdosed him...
- Fluoride Free Water said the report was never made public and parents who were using tap water to make up infant formula feed were overdosing their children with fluoride.
- ‘Every group overdosed the patient,’ Oriol said.
- The levels in the older girl could have been potentially fatal and Wells had got it wrong and overdosed the girl.
Derivatives
overdosage
- It is well documented that hepatotoxicity in children has not been associated with acute overdosages below 150 mg per kg.
- Heroin overdosage commonly occurs when higher potency heroin is used or when the heroin is mixed with other opioids, such as fentanyl.
- A single drug is chosen and levels are monitored to assure adequate absorption and to avoid overdosage.