Anyone who uses opioids could potentially experience an overdose. An overdose can happen if this is your first time using an opioid or if you’ve taken one frequently. These symptoms of stimulant overdose can lead to a seizure, stroke, heart attack, or death. Once at the hospital, providers may also perform additional treatments, like intubation, to help you breathe. Nalmefene is only used in healthcare settings outside the U.S.

Signs of opioid overdose

• Risk factors for drug overdose are those that would make someone more likely to abuse drugs, or more likely to accidentally take the incorrect medication or take the wrong dose of a medication.
• Once at the hospital, providers may also perform additional treatments, like intubation, to help you breathe.
• Only half of countries provide access to effective treatment options for opioid dependence and less than 10% of people worldwide in need of such treatment are receiving it (5).
• Purposeful overdoses are for a desired effect, either to get high or to harm oneself.
• Drug overdose is a leading cause of preventable death in the U.S.

Risk factors for drug overdose are those that would make someone more likely to abuse drugs, or more likely to accidentally take the incorrect medication or take the wrong dose of a medication. If you use prescription drugs, be sure to use them only as directed by your doctor. Do not combine any medications without first asking your doctor if it’s safe.

Higher buprenorphine doses associated with improved retention in treatment for opioid use disorder

• Naloxone is an antidote to opioids that will reverse the effects of an opioid overdose if administered in time.
• For more details about its operating status, please visit cc.nih.gov.
• The gap between recommendations and practice is significant.
• Because of the potential for problems after some overdoses, syrup of ipecac or other therapies should not be given unless directed by a medical professional.
• As you’re likely unconscious while experiencing an overdose, they’ll assess the scene and look for clues or substances near you.

The amount that’s “too much” varies based on your tolerance and the strength of the opioid. That can make it hard to know what’s safe and what’s not. So, it’s important to follow prescribing instructions closely or avoid substances when you might not know what the dosage is. WHO also issues normative guidance to promote the appropriate use of opioids for pain and palliative care. Appropriate use and regulation of opioid analgesics ensures that they are available where needed whilst preventing their diversion and harm related to misuse.

Other NIDA Sites

In a hospital setting, providers may order drug tests to make a diagnosis. They’ll also perform other tests to assess your health and look for other signs, symptoms or medical conditions that may need treatment. The gap between recommendations and practice is significant. Only half of countries provide access to effective treatment options for opioid dependence and less than 10% of people worldwide in need of such treatment are receiving it (5).

Outpatient mental health and behavioral health care

Everyone who suffers an overdose needs to be seen by his or her doctor for follow-up. In part this is to ensure that there are no delayed injuries to any organ system. It is also to make sure that prevention against a recurrence is in place. If you have a problem with drug abuse, you may see an addiction specialist and a counselor to help deal with your addiction. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. If you have children in the house, make sure that all medications, both prescription and over-the-counter, are kept well out of reach.

Can opioid overdose be prevented?

Stigma can be a major barrier to how well prevention and treatment programs work amid the opioid crisis. A history and physical examination to look for evidence of drug poisoning will be performed. The doctor may order laboratory tests based on the organ systems that can be harmed by the specific drug overdose to make a diagnosis. Do not leave it up to the person to tell you they are overdosing; they may not know or not be able to communicate it to you. When it comes to drug overdose, being proactive is essential to reversing overdose and preventing death.

Take appropriate caution when dealing with drug overdose. Each person responds differently, and reactions are hard to predict. Many people who are directed to go to the emergency department may not develop any physical signs of poisoning. If you misuse drugs, quitting is the best way for you to prevent a drug overdose.

In a 2020 study, 75% of overdose deaths involved a prescription or illicit opioid, including 62% that involved a synthetic opioid other than methadone, such as fentanyl. If you aren’t sure, it is best to treat the situation like an overdose—you could save a life. Administer naloxone or another opioid overdose reversal medication (if available) and then call 911. Try to keep the person awake and breathing and lay the person on their side to prevent choking. These pills are dangerous because they typically appear as pharmaceutical pills but often contain illegally made fentanyl and illegal benzodiazepines or other drugs, with or without people’s knowledge.

Opioids have analgesic and sedative effects, and such medicines as morphine, codeine and fentanyl are commonly used for the management of pain. Opioid medicines methadone and buprenorphine are used for maintenance treatment of opioid dependence. After intake, opioids can cause euphoria, which is one of the main reasons why they are taken for non-medical reasons.

However, some people may be more sensitive to certain medications so that the high end of the therapeutic range of a drug may be toxic for them. If first responders suspect an overdose, they’ll administer naloxone. This is an emergency medication that treats opioid overdoses. If your symptoms improve with this medication, it confirms that you had an overdose.

Exposure to chemicals, plants, and other toxic substances that can cause harm are called poisonings. The higher the dose or the longer the exposure, the worse the poisoning. Two examples are carbon monoxide poisoning and mushroom poisoning.

Illicit drugs, used to get high, may be taken in overdose amounts when a person’s metabolism cannot detoxify the drug fast enough to avoid unintended side effects. The best methods remove opportunities for accidental overdose or triggers for intentional overdose in the first place. Treating an overdose as soon as possible prevents death and other serious complications like severe disability or brain damage.

Sexual Health

Opioids include heroin, morphine, codeine, fentanyl, methadone, tramadol, and other similar substances. drug overdose definition, treatment, prevention Due to their pharmacological effects, they can cause difficulties with breathing, and opioid overdose can lead to death. Their regular non-medical use, prolonged use, misuse and use without medical supervision can lead to opioid dependence and other health problems. Opioid dependence is a disorder of regulation of opioid use arising from repeated or continuous use of opioids. Naloxone (spray or auto-injectable) can reverse an opioid overdose, including heroin, fentanyl, and prescription opioid medications.

Do You Need to See a Doctor After a Drug Overdose?

Know that certain ways of taking drugs can be riskier than others. Inhaling or injecting drugs may cause them to get to your brain more quickly and also increases your chance of using an amount that can severely harm you. A drug overdose is taking too much of a substance, whether it’s prescription, over-the-counter, legal, or illegal. If you’ve taken more than the recommended amount of a drug or enough to have a harmful effect on your body’s functions, you have overdosed. You may need to give an additional dose of the emergency opioid overdose reversal medication as you wait for emergency services to arrive. Implementation strategies focus on creating accessible, equitable, sustainable, and culturally competent approaches to linking people living with OUD to evidence-based care.

Commitment, cooperation, and leadership from numerous sectors, including public health, education, criminal justice, health care, social services, business, labor, and government are key to successful implementation. WHO recommends the use of a range of treatment options for opioid dependence. WHO supports countries in improving the coverage and quality of treatment programmes for opioid dependence and introducing them where they do not already exist. Access to naloxone is generally limited to health professionals.