I need to know how to treat Tetrodotoxin Poisoning.

Is this for a nursing class, for homework?

If for real life. I need to know how I would treat the poisoning because I am around the animals that product the toxin.

Treatment is based on symptoms.

It is fatal, there is currently no known antidote. There is current work with mice but no treatment has been approved for humans at this time

Currently there is no antidote, but caught in time can be cured.


Focus initially on the ABCs.
Secure the airway before frank respiratory failure or aspiration occurs.
Establish an IV early in the event acute antiarrhythmics or vasopressors are needed.
Remove toxin from the intestinal tract by the usual toxicologic modalities. The use of nasogastric or orogastric lavage is theoretically beneficial but can be complicated by aspiration and damage to the esophagus. The administration of activated charcoal (with or without a cathartic) is recommended for all symptomatic patients.
If vomiting has occurred, gastric lavage is not indicated.
Carefully monitor vital signs and oxygenation in the ED because patients can decompensate suddenly. Treat all alterations in vital signs aggressively.
Further treatment should focus on supporting cardiovascular function until the toxin is eliminated from the body.
No specific antidote has been tested in humans. An animal study using monoclonal antibodies against TTX has been done.[3] Monoclonal antibodies were shown to be life saving in mice treated both before and after the ingestion of a lethal dose of TTX. Further studies are needed to document the efficacy in humans.
In another animal study, 4-aminopyridine (a potassium channel blocker) was used in guinea pigs intoxicated with tetrodotoxin or saxitoxin.[4] A dramatic improvement in respiratory, cardiac, and CNS status occurred after administration of the drug. No human studies of this drug for use in tetrodotoxin poisoning are in progress.


No drug has been shown to reverse the effects of tetrodotoxin poisoning. Treatment is symptomatic.

Found here... Medscape: Medscape Access (http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/818763-treatment#a1126)