Oleander

• Illustrations
• Alternative names
• Definition
• Poisonous Ingredient
• Where Found
• Symptoms

• Home Treatment
• Before Calling Emergency
• Poison Control, or a local emergency number
• What to expect at the emergency room
• Expectations (prognosis)

Alternative names    Return to top

Definition    Return to top

Poisoning from sucking nectar from the flowers, chewing leaves, using the branches as skewers to roast meat, or from honey made by bees using the oleander plant for nectar.

Poisonous Ingredient    Return to top

• neriin
• oleondroside
• oleandrin

Where Found    Return to top

• twigs, leaves, and flowers of the oleander plant

Symptoms    Return to top

• body as a whole
  • weakness
  • dizziness
• eyes, ears, nose, and throat
  • blurred vision
  • halos around objects (yellow, green, white) *
• skin
  • rash
  • hives
• gastrointestinal
  • loss of appetite *
  • vomiting or nausea
  • abdominal pain (lower stomach)
  • diarrhea
• heart and blood vessels
  • irregular or slow heartbeat
  • low blood pressure
• nervous system
  • drowsiness
  • confusion
  • depression *
  • headache
  • fainting
  • lethargy
  • disorientation
  • death

Home Treatment    Return to top

Call Poison Control.

Before Calling Emergency    Return to top

Determine the following information:

• the patient's age, weight, and condition
• the name of the plant
• the time it was swallowed
• the amount swallowed

Poison Control, or a local emergency number    Return to top

They will instruct you if it is necessary to take the patient to the hospital. See Poison Control centers for telephone numbers and addresses. Take the container or plant with you to the emergency room.

What to expect at the emergency room    Return to top

Some or all of the following procedures may be performed:

• induce vomiting
• administer activated charcoal
• gastric lavage
• monitor vital signs (blood pressure, pulse, and so forth)
• monitor EKG (monitors heart function)
• blood samples drawn to determine:
  • serum magnesium level
  • serum potassium levels
• administration of antidote and other medication to correct problems resulting from the overdose if needed
• correction of electrolyte (potassium, magnesium) imbalances

Expectations (prognosis)    Return to top

If the individual survives the first 24 hours their chances of survival are very good.