Author: Gary Jackson

Drug overdose: Definition, risks, signs, and more

After successful resuscitation following the administration of naloxone, the level of consciousness and breathing of the affected person should be closely observed until full recovery has been achieved. This is particularly relevant for people with opioid use disorders and leaving prison, as they have very high rates of opioid overdose during the first four weeks after release. An adult should not take more than 3,200 mg of ibuprofen per day. If you or someone you know has taken more than the recommended dose, call your local poison center or your local emergency services. A drug overdose is taking too much of a substance, whether it’s prescription, over-the-counter, legal, or illegal.

  1. Narcotics are a class of drugs that are chemicals — natural or synthetic — that interact with nerve cells and have the potential to reduce pain.
  2. Stimulants, alcohol, and benzodiazepines can also lead to drug overdose.
  3. Getting medical help quickly can make a big difference in the effectiveness of drug overdose treatment.
  4. In a hospital setting, healthcare providers order drug tests to diagnose opioid overdose.

Is It Possible to Overdose on Ibuprofen?

Addressing a substance use disorder can help decrease the chance of a drug overdose. Avoid combining prescription medications with other substances, such as alcohol. Do not share a prescription or take medications prescribed to another individual. A drug overdose means that an individual has consumed a toxic amount of a substance.

Health Categories to Explore

To avoid an alcohol overdose, avoid drinking excessive amounts of alcohol in a short time. Drinking a lot of alcohol in a short time (binge drinking) can rapidly increase the amount of alcohol in the blood. This makes it difficult for the body to remove alcohol from the bloodstream and can harm other body parts. Combining different drugs can cause a particularly dangerous overdose. This can lead to breathing difficulties, lowered heart rate, seizures, and loss of consciousness. Medications are prescribed to save lives, yet medications can be extremely dangerous and bring people to the emergency room with life-threatening problems.

She became hypoglycemic, which caused her dizziness then her loss of consciousness and her fall. Hypoglycemia can be deadly because our human cells rely on sugar to live. The other name for Pepto Bismol is Bismuth subsalicylate, which means it contains a Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) of the same family as Aspirin, which increases bleeding. In addition, Tom took Aspirin (which is also a blood thinner) for his headaches, which increased the risk of bleeding even more. The third thing that happened is that Tom, when he was eating normally, was eating green leafy vegetables like broccoli every day, which made the Warfarin less active. You can get naloxone for free through discrete harm reduction programs like NEXT Distro or from a healthcare provider or pharmacy.

How is an opioid overdose diagnosed?

He took Aspirin for his headache and Pepto Bismol for his diarrhea. One day later, when he woke up, he had a lot of blood in his urine and his stools were bright red. If you don’t have CPR training or are uncomfortable doing mouth-to-mouth rescue breathing, doing “hands-only” CPR (chest compressions) is better than doing nothing, especially if you can’t feel their heartbeat. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved naloxone nasal spray (Narcan) as an over-the-counter medicine. The steps for administering Narcan are also easy to follow. If you experience symptoms of an ulcer after taking ibuprofen, stop taking ibuprofen and call your doctor.

Opioid analgesics.

The following are some questions people frequently ask about drug overdose. Individuals experiencing a stimulant overdose should stay hydrated and cool. If they begin to have a seizure, ensure no harmful objects are close to them. There are a range of treatments available for different kinds of drug overdose. Emily continued taking Insulin and Metformin (anti-diabetic drugs) at their usual dose even though she wasn’t able to eat very much for three days. As a consequence, the Insulin she took made her blood sugar drop into dangerously low levels.

Because there is an overwhelming amount of opioid in your brain, your body stops receiving the correct signals at all to breathe. The appropriate number of pills depends on the person and their medication. For diabetic people, especially as they get older, it is safer to err on the side of a little too high blood sugar rather than too low. Emily was used to taking Insulin and Metformin every day for her diabetes. While on vacation in Mexico, she had an upset stomach and couldn’t eat very much for three days. On the third day, she felt dizzy then lost consciousness, fell and hit her head on a table next to her.

While North America currently has the highest rate of opioid overdoses in the world, opioid overdose continues to be a global issue. An opioid overdose can happen when a person takes too much of an opioid or a combination of opioids and other substances, such as alcohol, sedatives or stimulants. “Too much” varies from person to person depending on their opioid tolerance and the potency (strength) of the opioid they’re using. It is always better to err on the side of caution in the event of a possible overdose. Always call 911 if you think someone is experiencing an overdose.

Responding quickly can help prevent serious health consequences. Worldwide, about 296 million people (or 5.8% of the global population aged 15–64 years) used drugs at least once in 2021. About 39.5 million people lived with drug use disorders in 2021(2). Most people dependent on opioids used illicitly cultivated and manufactured heroin, but the proportion of those using prescription opioids is growing. If you take a prescription opioid, it’s important to teach your family and friends how to respond to an overdose.

Treatment for Substance Use Disorders

If they begin vomiting, help them lean forward so they do not choke. Alternatively, if they have lost consciousness, an individual can place them in the recovery position. This article examines the topic of drug overdose in detail. It discusses what a drug overdose is, why it occurs, and how to prevent it. If you think someone you love may be using or misusing opioids, talk to your loved one about the dangers of opioids and try to connect them to medical resources.