![]() Activated charcoal for medical use | |
Clinical data | |
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Trade names | CharcoAid, others |
AHFS/Drugs.com | Monograph |
Routes of administration | by mouth, nasogastric tube |
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UNII | |
CompTox Dashboard (EPA) | |
ECHA InfoCard | 100.036.697 |
Activated charcoal, also known as activated carbon, is a medication used to treat poisonings that occurred by mouth.[1] To be effective it must be used within a short time of the poisoning occurring, typically an hour.[1][2] It does not work for poisonings by cyanide, corrosive agents, iron, lithium, alcohols, or malathion.[2] It may be taken by mouth or given by a nasogastric tube.[3] Other uses include inside hemoperfusion machines.[1]
Common side effects include vomiting, black stools, diarrhea, and constipation.[1] A more serious side effect, pneumonitis, may result if aspirated into the lungs.[1][2] Gastrointestinal obstruction and ileus are less common but serious adverse effects.[1] Use in pregnancy and breastfeeding is generally safe.[3] Activated charcoal works by adsorbing the toxin.[1]
While charcoal has been used since ancient times for poisonings, activated charcoal has been used since the 1900s.[4][5] It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines.[6]
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