Painkiller 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
Painkiller 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
Naloxone: The Cheap, Harmless Drug That Can Reverse A Heroin Overdose In Progress (Get Yours Now!)
Stop Fatal Drug Overdose: Don’t Mix Drugs