Self-Care at Home If you, a family member, or a friend has swallowed or breathed a poison and you have signs or symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, pain, trouble breathing, seizure, confusion, or abnormal skin color, then you must call either an ambulance or a poison control center for guidance. As a rule, do not treat a poisoning at home. Identify your closest poison control center from a comprehensive list of toll-free telephone numbers for poison control centers in all states at the American Association of Poison Control Centers. Place the telephone number (along with police, fire, and 911 or equivalent) near your home phones. If you phone a poison control center, ask: Is there an antidote I can give at home? In the past, syrup of ipecac was recommended to induce vomiting. You should only give ipecac when told to do so by a medical professional. Recently, experts concluded that ipecac syrup should be used very rarely. Thus, the current first-line treatment for most ingested po...