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In many countries there is still limited availability of naloxone even in medical settings, including in ambulances. On the other hand, some countries have already made naloxone available in pharmacies without prescription. Worldwide, about 296 million people (or 5.8% of the global population aged 15–64 years) used drugs at least once in 2021.
Do You Need to See a Doctor After a Drug Overdose?
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.
Linking People with Opioid Use Disorder to Medication Treatment
- If you have children in the house, make sure that all medications, both prescription and over-the-counter, are kept well out of reach.
- For example, an asthma attack or chest pains may be triggered.
- Anyone who uses opioids could potentially experience an overdose.
- Know that medical and mental health community support is available, and you don’t need to go through this alone.
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 drug overdose definition, treatment, prevention 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.
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.
Health Care Providers
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.
How Can People Prevent an Accidental or Purposeful Drug Overdose?
- WHO also issues normative guidance to promote the appropriate use of opioids for pain and palliative care.
- OUD significantly contributes to overdose deaths among people who use illegal opioids or misuse prescription opioids.
- Your doctor can help you get the psychiatric care you need.
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.
Drug abusers also need this same support in order to stay clean and safe. Treatment will be dictated by the specific drug taken in the overdose. Information provided about amount, time, and underlying medical problems will be very helpful. If a person is suspected of overdosing on drugs, call 911 immediately.
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.
Immediate care
Naloxone can quickly restore normal breathing to a person during an opioid overdose. By Michelle PugleMichelle Pugle writes health articles for award-winning websites, as seen in Healthline, Verywell, Everyday Health, and Psych Central. She has a Master’s degree, undergraduate degrees in English and Sociology, a diploma in Holistic Herbal Therapy, and is trained in mental health first aid, anti-violence work, and peer support work. In many cases, a person who overdoses generally recovers completely and without lasting physical disability. If you or a loved one is at risk of overdose, reach out for help.
What should I do if I think someone is experiencing an opioid overdose?
If you see these signs of overdose, do not abandon the person out of fear of getting in trouble. Generally, in an overdose, the effects of the drug may be a heightened level of the therapeutic effects seen with regular use. In overdose, side effects become more pronounced, and other effects can take place, which would not occur with normal use. Large overdoses of some medications cause only minimal effects, while smaller overdoses of other medications can cause severe effects, possibly death. A single dose of some medications can be lethal to a young child.
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.
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).
You should also not mix alcohol with prescription drugs without checking with your doctor first. You should seek medical help immediately if you have these symptoms or witness them in someone else and suspect they may have overdosed. 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. Getting medical help quickly can make a big difference in the effectiveness of drug overdose treatment. An overdose can occur if you take too much of an opioid or mix it with other addictive substances. Any opioid, either prescription or nonprescription, can lead to an overdose.
