Why isn’t it recommended to provoke vomit when ingesting some harmful chemicals?
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Lots of people have mentioned that more damage can be done going through the throat/oesophagi again. There is also the risk of aspiration(inhaling) when vomiting. So if you’ve ingested something that causes damage to the oesophagi so, imagine the damage it will do to your lungs, even if you only inhale a small amount. A large amount of anything and your screwed in general too.
Even if the substance isn’t corrosive, such as might occur in an overdose, the drugs and vomit will trigger inflammation in the lungs regardless.
It’s for these reasons that getting someone to a&e quickly is important. For some giving activated charcoal is helpful (it absorbs some substances while they are in the stomach and prevent them being absorbed). In some cases you can do a stomach pump (tube passed with through mouth or occasionally nose into the stomach and the substance removed that way). It stops contact with the oesophagus and throat lining and giving a direct line out of the mouth, reducing the risk of aspiration. But it does risk vomiting when I setting the tube and is not often used in reality.
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