There does not seem to be a reliable and safe first aid procedure for inducing vomiting in adults. Medical attention is usually available quite quickly in most situations. In light of these arguments, the recommendation to induce vomiting should rarely be made for occupational exposures. In these cases, first aiders should receive special training on how to safely and effectively induce vomiting in the appropriate circumstances. It is a common misperception that antidotes are available for most chemical poisonings.
True antidotes are the exception rather than the rule.
The universal antidote is a mixture of tannic acid, magnesium oxide and activated charcoal. Activated charcoal works by binding the chemical in the stomach so it cannot be absorbed through the stomach. It is necessary to swallow up to 10 times the weight of the ingested chemical to ensure success of the antidote. This amount would be difficult to estimate and even more difficult to ingest because of the gritty, unappealing texture and taste of activated charcoal. In addition, activated charcoal can interfere with some treatments a doctor may choose to use.