Which pairing of antidote and overdose is correct?

Which pairing of antidote and overdose is correct?

• A. Naloxone for opioid overdose.
• B. Protamine sulfate for aspirin overdose.
• C. Vitamin K for acetaminophen overdose.
• D. N-acetylcysteine for heparin overdose.

Answer: (A)

The key idea is matching the antidote to the specific overdose. Naloxone works by acting as a competitive antagonist at opioid receptors, rapidly displacing opioids and reversing the central nervous system and respiratory depression caused by opioid toxicity. Its effect comes on quickly when given by IV, but it’s brief, so patients need close monitoring and sometimes repeated dosing or an infusion to prevent recurrence of symptoms as the opioid wears off. The other pairings don’t fit: protamine sulfate neutralizes heparin, not aspirin; vitamin K reverses warfarin anticoagulation, not acetaminophen toxicity; N-acetylcysteine treats acetaminophen overdose, not heparin overdose.

The key idea is matching the antidote to the specific overdose. Naloxone works by acting as a competitive antagonist at opioid receptors, rapidly displacing opioids and reversing the central nervous system and respiratory depression caused by opioid toxicity. Its effect comes on quickly when given by IV, but it’s brief, so patients need close monitoring and sometimes repeated dosing or an infusion to prevent recurrence of symptoms as the opioid wears off.

The other pairings don’t fit: protamine sulfate neutralizes heparin, not aspirin; vitamin K reverses warfarin anticoagulation, not acetaminophen toxicity; N-acetylcysteine treats acetaminophen overdose, not heparin overdose.