Massive overdose of Benzos and Alcohol, what to expect

[theotherfossilsister]

A family member of Dp is in a coma following this. They were breathing when found, who h I believe is positive. Currently in coma witn assistance breathing. Hospital saying they don't know what will happen, but surely fact they were breathing when found is positive?

What do we expect please?

So sorry to hear what’s happened, that sounds so difficult. I really hope they’ll be okay💐

I’m also sorry to say that no one can give you the answers that you’re looking for. Continue to follow the advice given by the medical professionals at the hospital and try to take it day by day. They could improve massively or they could deteriorate. It’s best to try and brace yourself for both outcomes x

Thank you. How does someone improve or deteriorate in a coma?

It depends on what damage the od has done to the body. Not much, they can recover. If organs are damaged they may deteriorate.

Do you know if your relative's coma is medically induced?

Usually people in ITU are given medication to keep them sedated so they can tolerate the breathing machine. Weaning involves tapering off this medication and seeing how much the person wakes up naturally, to the point they are breathing for themselves and tube can be taken out.

The time they spent unconscious before being found, even though they were breathing, they may not have been breathing enough so sustained brain damage, may have got organ damage from lying on the floor so long, got pneumonia from gastric secretions getting into their lungs because they couldn't cough properly.

The doctors will know whether some of this has happened, but the brain damage part is really only known when you start trying to wake someone up by cutting down the medication.

@AnnaMagnani I don't know if it's medically induced, maybe? Although she was unconscious when found at five am. I don't know a lot else. She may have also taken other medication.

I found someone with an accidental benzo/alcohol overdose. Wasn’t in a coma but was beyond sleeping (if that makes sense - there’s a scale they use depending on the response of the eyes to light). The consultant said she wasn’t particularly worried medically & once they came round they weren’t too poorly medically. Sending you lots of love - it was horrible waiting for them to wake up and it did take quite a long time.

What typically happens when someone’s taken benzo’s and booze is that they’ll be too sedated to protect their own airway from obstructing/vomit. They get given some short acting sedative medications (because you never know quite how aware someone is even when they appear unconscious) to facilitate getting a breathing tube in which means that their own breathing can be supported and they won’t inhale vomit. The sedation gets weaned down (usually fairly quickly if everything’s stable) and the tube gets taken out when the patients awake enough to breathe normally again. The commoner things that can slow this process down is if they’ve inhaled vomit/secretions and developed pneumonia/pneumonitis- this may need a longer time intubated. If it was a long time before they were found then low BP/muscle damage/hypothermia/low glucose levels can cause problems too and that will take time to improve. Any other drugs they’ve taken will also be important. It’s impossible to tell what state someone’s brain will be in until the sedation’s off and they’ve had chance to wake up. If they have other medical problems normally then those may also affect the recovery. This is pretty much icu bread-and-butter medicine - they wouldn’t be doing the stuff they’re doing if they thought there was no chance but it’s not always easy to predict how things will end up going (icu docs/nurses are generally pretty frank - if it’s going horribly wrong/ brilliantly well they do tend to share that…and if they can’t tell you how it’s going with all the info they have no one else on here is really going to be able to either).

Thank you

I really need some certainty around this please or at least something like certainty

With respect, and I understand this is a hard and frustrating time, but if the Dr’s have said they don’t know and could go either way at this point, then Mumsnet is not going to be able to give you an answer. People can provide you experiences and examples but every patient is different and there are many factors that differ between patients that makes extrapolation difficult.

Unfortunately, it’s a wait and see and the Dr’s will tell you when they do know anything either way. I understand patience is hard in such a situation but that’s the only way. Wishing you the best of luck with the situation.

If the doctors can’t give you certainty no one on here has a chance

have they taken blood?

i would go out, there is nothing for you to do, they are in hospital.
best wishes @theotherfossilsister

Are you able to visit and talkto them?

When I was in an induced coma it helped massively. I felt safer. I fought to live. Icould hear everything.I was so confused.

Move their limbs. The pain of not being able to do this is agony. Even in a coma.

They will likely have to learn to walk again. Speak again. It[s horrendos.

Sorry for typos

So sorry to hear op.
There is no certainty anyone can offer you I'm afraid. I'm so sorry to say that, but really no one can say, even the doctors. Her brain could have been starved of oxygen for some time.
Praying for the best outcome for you all x

Hypoxic brain injury Hypoxic and anoxic brain injury | Headway

Thank you all

That's good advice @adriftabroad

They've stabilised her, but couldn't say anything else

I don't think coma is induced

If the coma is not induced I think that may be worse, sadly. 🙁

Take care and I hope your relative is ok.
Hearing really is the last to go.
I had long hair. One nurse cut it all off one night (not UK) laughing, I was aware of all of it but totally confused and nableto move. I also thought Iwas on a boat.

Honestly, be present if you or others can. Talk to her, calmly.

@adriftabroad that's awful about her laughing as she cut your hair, I understand why she might have needed to cut it but the laughing is horrible

We're not actually that nearby. Thinking of going over there but not sure if we would be crowding people

the term 'induced coma' is not helpful in this context (actually it's not helpful in many contexts). Without knowing a lot more detail it's impossible for anyone on MN to prognosticate. (DOI/COI: icu doctor)

OP, you haven't provided much info about the medical state your relative is in.

I've been in a coma on full life support (not due to overdose or alcohol consumption) and the reason it feels like medics are saying it could go either way is because really, it could.

Nobody can tell you what the likely outcome will be and I know it's frustrating.

People in ICU can have good days and bad days, or good hours and bad hours. It's a roller coaster for the patient, their family and the staff caring for them. You should expect good news and at times, not so good news.

We don't know whether the coma is medically induced or not, what level of assistance breathing they require, what level of ventilation they require, whether there's significant damage to the liver and other organs, whether there's pre-existing physical illness or injury, whether they are responding to treatment or anything else so it really is literally impossible to judge the outcome.

Breathing support (ventilation in the case of a comatose patient) will be weaned very slowly, so when a patient appears to be doing well on ventilation, they'll turn the level of support with the breathing a tiny bit and see how the patient copes (they will still be getting ventilation, just slightly less). If they don't cope, the level will be increased again. If they DO cope, excellent, the ventilator will be set at the new slightly lower rate and this can be continued until medics feel it's safe to pause the ventilation very temporarily to see if the patient can breathe on their own. It is EXTREMELY common for a patient to need to go back on the ventilator after attempting this process. If this happens, don't assume that it means they won't recover. I went through this process several times in critical care (of course I don't remember any of it!) before I was able to breathe on my own.

Finally, if a patient starts to show progress, other support is weaned very slowly and the staff are EXTREMELY careful and quick to react if more help is needed.

Whether the fact that your relative was breathing when she was found has any bearing on likely outcome, I'm afraid I can't advise as I'm not medically trained.

I'm sorry that's not the answer you want but I hope for the best outcome for your relative.

Thank you, things remain uncertain. I'll try to post more information soon when I have spoken to family properly. Lots of WhatsApp messages today but we'll have a conversation tonight and see what's what. I think she may have also taken another drug but unsure what, although this was via a WhatsApp from a family member who seemed confused and distressed. My baby threw my phone off the sofa earlier too and it's broken but DP getting updates

She seems to be more responsive but there is a problem with her lungs so they are trying to sort that. It looks like it will be ok I think though although she has damaged her lungs somehow

Sorry this is op on another phone

I'm so happy things are looking more positive for your family 💐

Thank you, she seems to be doing a lot better. She has woken up but is very confused. She is on the lungs ward now. I think immediate danger is over bit a lot needs to be put in place to keep her safe.