drug overdose.....

I had these drug overdose cases yesterday...

The ambulance had rushed in a male alleged with drug overdose. The patient was in semicomatose state and SpO2 was 90% on O2 nasal cannula use. The breathing sound was coarse crackle bilateral. The wife who came with the ambulance passed me the medical slip. I took a look - 3 type of Benzodiazepam drug plus Prozac and Sulpyride. Well, he had taken the whole 3 week dose. I asked if he had vomited in the house and the wife told me yes. Great - drug overdose with aspiration pneumonia , I need to intubate him stat...I put him on a mask and passed on a NGT. NGT irrigation had revealed blueish fluid..(one of the pill was blue in colour).
I told the family about the diagnosis and option. Nowadays ,the doctor don't choose for the patient, the patient and family make the decision pending option offered by the doctor. I told them that I could take him into the ICU but it would take at least 5 days for me to confirm if there is any other type of drug overdose as the lab test would need to be sent to some lab outside our hospital. The aspiration pneumonia make the condition worse...another choice was to referred him to medical center grade hospital. The family agreed with the transferred and I called up the 3 medical center in our region. None of them had ICU bed but they did not deny acceptance of such case. The family finally decide to go to one of the medical center. I intubate the patient before transfer.
Well, the patient suffered from major depression and had an arguement over a phone bill. Another waste of medical budget  - as a person who worked under stress: physical and mentally everyday, I couldn't imaging what those people who commited suicide had in mind....I remembered once Ving scolded me that I was a cold hearted Bexxt as I was calm when Yun was severely sick...I don't blame her, that is part of me since the day I chose this profession. I remembered back in medical school, my relative had asked me if I was afraid during the anatomy class. I said no, no because I am so brave, but we were too focus to dissect the body and learn the structure. The formalin vapor made us slow down on the dissecting process, we could hardly open our eyes when near the cadaver - we were constantly behind schedule. Later when I stepped into my internship, my first worry was could I made it overnight without any sleep. I was so happy I made it through my 1st call, then my second and so on.....
Well, there was another "drug overdose" that night. A bus driver had found a guy unarousable on the bus. The guy had slept since he boarded the bus and did not get off at his destination. When the bus made a temporary stop at the bus station near our hospital. The bus driver had attempted to wake him and he was unarousable. The local ambulance and police was summoned and he was ferried over to us for help. I found a 5 days dose of antipsychotic medication. He had taken his ON dose - 6 pills of 8 was gone(yes 8 pills on night....). Appearently, he had fallen asleep under the influence of his usual medication. He was not a case of drug overdose after all. The police helped us to contact the family and he was brought home safely. The father told me that he usually sleep ok after he take his medication. He did sleep ok on the bus...
Unlike those black and white cantonese movie which often feature suicide by taken sleeping pills and alcohol together. The sleeping pills today are relatively safe. Patient might have to take hundred of them to kill themself...well, safety mean less mortality and more medical expanses...