Overdose

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Opiate Overdose Prevention

• ODs are common & some are fatal
• simple steps can reduce the risk
• reversible if caught early (call 911)

Overdose happens most when:

• just out of jail or rehab
• mixing drugs (using opiates like heroin or Oxycontin with alcohol, or with benzos like Xanax, Klonopin or Valium)
• using drugs of unknown strength (heroin)
• using methadone or fentanyl to get high

If you use, use carefully:

• be aware of when you are most at risk (tolerance is low)
• take control of your use (time, place, companions, drugs)
• don’t use alone & make an OD plan with friends
• “taste” drugs of unknown strength before you use a larger dose
• learn rescue breathing

Opiate Overdose Rescue

Overdose symptoms include:

• can’t keep awake or passed out
• hardly breathing or not breathing
• weak or no pulse or heartbeat
• skin is pale
• lips turn blue
• choking, snoring or gurgling sounds
• throwing up

DO THIS:

• call 911 immediately
• 911 will send an ambulance and EMTS will have Narcan which can reverse an opiate/opioid overdose in progress
• stay with them, be there for them
• unlock the door, help EMTs find you
• keep their airway clear
• put them in a position that will avoid choking if they vomit
• breath for them if they stop
• try to keep them awake (but don’t let them fall)
• inject them with Narcan (naloxone) if available

NOT THIS:

• don’t leave them
• don’t give them more/other drugs
• don’t inject them with anything other than Narcan (naloxone)
• don’t leave them alone after a Narcan shot because Narcan wears off more quickly than opiates and the overdose may resume (may need another Narcan shot)
• don’t let them get too hot or cold
• don’t put them in a bathtub of water (may put them into shock, risk of drowning)
• don’t let them fall
• don’t wait until it is too late to call 911

More About Overdose

Drug Overdose Deaths Soar Among Military Troops