Poisoning by central nervous system muscle-tone depressants

This code signifies an adverse reaction or overdose due to substances that depress the central nervous system and reduce muscle tone. This includes various medications and illicit drugs that cause generalized muscle relaxation and sedation. The poisoning can manifest as respiratory depression, hypotension, coma, or other systemic effects.

Use this code when documentation clearly indicates a toxic effect from a substance primarily acting as a CNS depressant and muscle relaxant. This applies to accidental ingestions, intentional overdoses, or adverse effects from therapeutic use. Supporting documentation should specify the substance involved and the resulting clinical manifestations of poisoning.

• Always code the specific substance responsible for the poisoning using an E-code (E850-E869, E950-E952, E961, E980-E982) in addition to this code.
• Distinguish between poisoning (adverse effect/overdose) and adverse effects in therapeutic use; this code is for poisoning.
• Consider sequencing: the poisoning code is often primary, with manifestations coded secondarily, unless a specific manifestation is the primary reason for the encounter.