Ipecacuanha

Other Names: Ipecac, Brazil Root, Brazilian Ipecac, Callicocca ipecacuanha, Cartagena Ipecac, Cephaelis acuminata, Cephaelis ipecacuanha, Ipéca, Ipéca du Brésil, Ipéca du Nicaragua, Ipéca du Panama, Ipecacuana, Ipécacuana, Ipecacuanha, Matto Grosso Ipecac, Nicaragua Ipecac, Panama Ipecac, Psychotria ipecacuanha, Racine Brésilienne, Rio Ipecac, Uragoga granatensis, Uragoga ipecacuanha.
Ipecac is a plant. It is used to make medicine. Ipecac syrup is available both as a nonprescription product and as an FDA-approved prescription product.

Special Precautions of Ipecacuanha

• Ipecac might be safe for most people when taken by mouth and used for a short time. It can cause nausea, vomiting, stomach irritation, dizziness, low blood pressure, shortness of breath, and a fast heartbeat.
• Ipecac is UNSAFE when used long-term, in large amounts, and in children under the age of one. Misuse of ipecac can lead to serious poisoning, heart damage, and death. Signs of poisoning include difficulty breathing, digestive tract problems, abnormal heart rates, blood in the urine, convulsions, shock, coma, and death.
• Children: Ipecac is UNSAFE when used in children under the age of one. Children are more sensitive than adults to the side effects of ipecac. Misuse of ipecac can lead to serious poisoning, heart damage, and death. Signs of poisoning include difficulty breathing, digestive tract problems, abnormal heart rates, blood in the urine, convulsions, shock, coma, and death.
• Ipecac seems to be safe for children when used appropriately as a prescription product to induce vomiting. However, the American Academy of Pediatrics' recommendation to keep a 1-ounce bottle of syrup of ipecac at home has recently been reversed. The new statement reads, “Syrup of ipecac should no longer be routinely used as a poison treatment intervention in the home.” The thinking is that keeping ipecac at home hasn’t been proven to save lives. Talk with your healthcare provider or poison control center about how to use ipecac correctly in cases of poisoning in children.
• Pregnancy and breast-feeding: It is UNSAFE to use ipecac if you are pregnant. It might stimulate the uterus and cause a miscarriage. Not enough is known about the safety of using ipecac if you are breast-feeding. Stay on the safe side and avoid use.
• Unconsciousness or certain kinds of poisonings: Ipecac should not be used in people who are unconscious or have been poisoned with certain chemicals including corrosives, petroleum products, strychnine, and others. Talk to your healthcare provider or poison control center about whether ipecac is appropriate to use in each case of suspected poisoning. If ipecac is used incorrectly, serious complications can arise including damage of the esophagus, pneumonia, and convulsions.
• Digestive tract problems including ulcers, infections, or Crohn's disease: Ipecac can irritate the digestive tract. Don’t use it if you have one of these conditions.
• Heart disease: Ipecac can affect the heart. Don’t use it if you have a heart condition.

The benefits of Ipecacuanha are

Poisoning. Taking syrup of ipecac causes vomiting. However, ipecac’s effectiveness in preventing pediatric deaths with routine use of ipecac at home has never been proven. In 1983 the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended that all households keep a 1-ounce bottle of syrup of ipecac at home. Ipecac could then be used on the advice of a physician, emergency department, or poison control center to cause vomiting. This recommendation has recently been reversed, stating “Syrup of ipecac should no longer be routinely used as a poison treatment intervention in the home.”

• Activated charcoal interacts with IPECAC