An emergency-medicine specialist in a hospital’s emergency department treats a drug overdose. If a child overdoses, depending on the circumstances, Child Protective Services personnel may be involved. If a suicide attempt was the reason for the overdose, psychiatry services may need to be consulted. The drug naloxone (Narcan) can also help treat an opioid overdose by blocking opioids’ effects in the body. This medication is available in a nasal spray and as an intravenous injection at the hospital. Anyone noticing these or other symptoms should contact emergency services or seek immediate medical treatment.
Does Insurance Cover Opioid Rehab?
In other situations, the overdose is accidental and a result of someone accidently taking too much of a drug. From Janis Joplin to Jimi Hendrix to Jim Morrison to Prince and more – drug overdoses have claimed the lives of many talented and well-loved celebrities. While these famous deaths are the rock n’ roll lifestyle fatalities that make the headlines, a drug overdose can happen to anyone. Treatment for drug overdose varies but often involves the use of activated charcoal, gastric lavage, and intravenous fluids. Certain other drugs may be used to reverse an overdose, such as naloxone in the case of opioids.
Overdose Prevention
As soon as symptoms of overdose appear, it is necessary to get urgent medical assistance, administer naloxone (if there are some), and stay with an affected individual until help arrives. Accidental drug overdose happens when a person takes the wrong substance or a combination of substances at the wrong time or in the wrong amount, without being aware of it. This additionally applies to people who take drugs to achieve a “high” effect but don’t know how potent they are. The large number of overdose deaths involving fentanyl highlights the need to ensure people most at risk can access care, as well as the need to expand prevention and response activities.
Poisoning by methamphetamines, accidental (unintentional), initial encounter. Poisoning by ecstasy, accidental (unintentional), initial encounter. Poisoning by amphetamines, accidental (unintentional), initial encounter. Poisoning by caffeine, accidental (unintentional), initial encounter. Poisoning by unspecified psychostimulants, undetermined, initial encounter. Poisoning by other narcotics, accidental (unintentional), initial encounter.
- If you think you or someone else has experienced an overdose, call 911 immediately.
- However, there are certain conditions and factors that can increase the risk of the overdose.
- This can include taking any amount of someone else’s medication or more than the doctor prescribed.
- You should seek medical help immediately if you have these symptoms or witness them in someone else and suspect they may have overdosed.
If they aren’t breathing or are showing other signs of a drug overdose, call 911 and provide as much information as possible to the operator. It is vital to have medical professionals on the scene to treat the person overdosing. Symptoms of a drug overdose vary between substances and it can sometimes be difficult to tell the difference between typical side effects of a substance and the signs of an overdose. A drug overdose happens when too much of a substance is taken, overwhelming your body. This can be prescription meds, over-the-counter drugs, or illegal substances. A history and physical examination to look for evidence of drug poisoning will be performed.
- Alternatively, if they have lost consciousness, an individual can place them in the recovery position.
- An overdose can be accidental (i.e., you were prescribed a dose of medication, and your body does not handle it as expected), or it may be intentional.
- If you have a problem with drug abuse, you may see an addiction specialist and a counselor to help deal with your addiction.
- Seek immediate medical help by calling 911 or taking them to an emergency unit.
- The most obvious way to tell if these symptoms indicate overdose is if you know you have taken drugs or have seen someone else take drugs.
What Should You Do Is Someone Is Overdosing?
The .gov means it’s official.Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site. NAATP’s treatment provider members, policymakers and payors leverage the association’s thought leadership, network and tools to drive meaningful change in addiction treatment and the behavioral health ecosystem. The annual ‘economic burden’ of alcohol and illicit drug misuse in the US is estimated to be $442 billion. Many states have a “Good Samaritan Law” that legally protects the person who suffers from the overdose, as well as the person who calls 911 to report the emergency. If you suspect an overdose, the most important thing to do is to call 911 immediately and get the drug overdose: definition, treatment, prevention, and more person immediate medical help.
Three waves of opioid overdose deaths
The Good Samaritan Law was enacted in most states to protect people who call 911 to help a person who has overdosed. Those who call 911 cannot be arrested or charged for drug-related offenses, though this excludes distribution. The hope was that this would encourage people to seek emergency medical care to help save someone’s life. If you think you or someone you may know is experiencing an overdose, the best thing you can do is treat it like an emergency. Afterward, you may experience many complicated emotions about the overdose, how you reacted, and what to do to prevent future overdoses. Know that medical and mental health community support is available, and you don’t need to go through this alone.
There are a range of treatments available for different kinds of drug overdose. It discusses what a drug overdose is, why it occurs, and how to prevent it. The best methods remove opportunities for accidental overdose or triggers for intentional overdose in the first place.
Common medications used to treat drug addiction and withdrawal
It can involve prescription, over-the-counter, or recreational drugs and can be intentional or accidental. SUDs can lead to significant problems in all aspects of a person’s life. Patterns of symptoms resulting from substance use (drugs or alcohol) can help a doctor diagnose a person with a SUD or SUDs and connect them to appropriate treatment.
Overdoses can also occur from taking over-the-counter medications or even seemingly harmless substances, such as vitamin supplements, which the FDA does not regulate. Overdoses of over-the-counter drugs may be even more harmful and irreversible than controlled drugs. Learn about the various drug overdose treatments available and what to do if someone you know overdoses on drugs. Public health organizations can disseminate information about the risks of drug misuse and the importance of safe medication practices through various media channels. Specific antidotes can be used for certain types of overdoses, such as naloxone for opioid overdoses.
As a result, patients are able to handle stressful situations and various triggers that might cause another relapse. Behavioral therapies can also enhance the effectiveness of medications and help people remain in treatment longer. While relapse is a normal part of recovery, for some drugs, it can be very dangerous—even deadly. If a person uses as much of the drug as they did before quitting, they can easily overdose because their bodies are no longer adapted to their previous level of drug exposure. An overdose happens when the person uses enough of a drug to produce uncomfortable feelings, life-threatening symptoms, or death. In the case of a suicidal intentional drug overdose, you can get help from a crisis or suicide prevention hotline.
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. You should also not mix alcohol with prescription drugs without checking with your doctor first.
Poisoning by benzodiazepines, accidental (unintentional), initial encounter. Poisoning by agents primarily affecting the gastrointestinal system, such as histamine H2-receptor blockers, other antacids and anti-gastric-secretion drugs, stimulant laxatives, etc. Poisoning by agents primarily affecting the cardiovascular system, such as cardiac-stimulant glycosides and drugs of similar action, calcium-channel blockers, other antidysrhythmic drugs, etc. Poisoning by narcotics and psychodysleptics hallucinogens, such as fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, cannabis, etc. Poisoning by hormones and their synthetic substitutes and antagonists, not elsewhere classified, such as glucocorticoids and synthetic analogues, thyroid hormones and substitutes, antithyroid drugs, etc. Finally, another major factor is whether the person has had a previous overdose.