Regardless of the substance, an overdose occurs when a person’s body can’t withstand the amount of a drug they’ve taken. 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. An overdose can lead to serious medical complications, including death. The severity of a drug overdose depends on the drug, the amount taken, and the physical and medical history of the person who overdosed.
Opioid Overdose
Because the drug works quickly, only a few minutes should pass before the person responds; if not, a second dose can be given through the other nostril. Learn about the various drug overdose treatments available and what to do if someone you know overdoses on drugs. Specific antidotes can be used for certain types of overdoses, such as naloxone for opioid overdoses. Prevent and ProtectHelp for people to gain access to naloxone.
Drug use and effects on the brain
Due to opioids being the most common, this article will focus on key prevention approaches you can take to protect your family and community. Over the past two decades, the opioid crisis has accelerated the integration of addiction care in the U.S. with mainstream medicine. Yet methadone, the oldest and still one of the most effective medications in our OUD treatment toolkit, remains siloed. In the current era of powerful synthetic opioids like fentanyl dominating the statistics on drug addiction and overdose, it is time to make this effective medication more accessible to all who could benefit. Although more research would be of value, the initial evidence suggests that providing methadone outside of OTPs is feasible, acceptable, and leads to good outcomes.
- If you suspect someone is overdosing, it’s critical to act quickly.
- Programs like Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) educate students about the risks of drug use and provide them with skills to resist peer pressure.
- Community awareness campaigns raise awareness about the dangers of drug misuse and promote healthy behaviors.
- 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.
Support the person’s breathing
For more information on finding rehab programs that meet your requirements, contact American Addiction Centers (AAC) for free at . You can also check your insurance coverage online now to determine whether your health insurance provider will cover rehabilitation. Outpatient counseling can help people understand addiction, their triggers, and their reasons for using drugs. This form of treatment can be done at a doctor’s office or via telehealth appointment. Substance use disorder (SUD) is defined as a problematic pattern of substance use leading to clinically significant impairment or distress.
Suicide prevention
Naloxone will not harm someone if you give it to them and they are not overdosing on an opioid. If you believe someone is suffering from alcohol poisoning or stimulant overdose, call 911 immediately. Inpatient rehabilitation at a full-time facility provides a supportive environment to help people recover without distractions or temptations. Motivational enhancement https://sober-house.org/when-good-tv-goes-bad-why-house-s-self-medication/ therapy uses strategies to make the most of people’s readiness to change their behavior and enter treatment. Cognitive-behavioral therapy seeks to help patients recognize, avoid, and cope with the situations in which they’re most likely to use drugs. Overcoming a SUD is not as simple as resisting the temptation to take drugs through willpower alone.
Find Treatment.gov
The information contained on this website is not intended to be a substitute for, or to be relied upon as, medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. He had many years in recovery where he was not taking anything. As a parent, there is the belief that your child has finally turned the corner and you are done with the disease.
In these cases, we encourage you to seek help in therapy or counseling. Mourning is how we can cope with loss, whether it’s honoring religious traditions, gathering with friends and family for comfort, looking at old photos, and more. Mourning can last weeks, months, or even years, but everyone is different. When the death of a loved one occurs, you may experience a wide range of emotions, from denial, disbelief, confusion, shock, and sadness, to anger, humiliation, despair, guilt and regret. According to Mental Health America, these feelings are all normal [1]. Medical personnel may pump the person’s stomach to eradicate the substance and administer activated charcoal or medicines to counteract it.
Let’s take a look at the steps you should take when someone has overdosed. Finding the right treatment option can be the key to a successful recovery journey. NIMH supports research at universities, medical centers, and other institutions via grants, contracts, https://rehabliving.net/teen-drug-abuse-signs-risks-and-treatment/ and cooperative agreements. Learn more about NIMH research areas, policies, resources, and initiatives. Find out how NIMH engages a range of stakeholder organizations as part of its efforts to ensure the greatest public health impact of the research we support.
The brain adapts to continued drug use by developing a tolerance, which means it takes more of a drug to feel the same result. Ambulatory care pharmacist Ashley Jones, PharmD, BCACP, explains each step in further detail below. If you’d like to learn more about helping drug addicts, check out our in-depth interview with Catherine Boswell, PhD.
Climbing the steps, finding him dead and knowing he had lost his battle with opioid addiction. Alcohol is also a depressant and affects the central nervous system similar to opiates and benzodiazepines. While some people may not generally consider alcohol an overdose risk, extreme cases can lead to respiratory failure, cardiac arrest, and choking. Mixing alcohol with other depressants also amplifies the effects of both, increasing the risk of an accidental overdose. There are safe and effective ways to treat substance use disorders.
If you find a loved one has overdosed, or even a complete stranger, knowing how to react could mean the difference between life and death. It may be hard to tell whether a person is high or experiencing an overdose. If you aren’t sure, treat it like an overdose—you could save a life. If you don’t have CPR training or are uncomfortable doing mouth-to-mouth rescue breathing, doing “hands-only” CPR (chest compressions) is https://sober-home.org/how-to-stop-binge-drinking-13-tips-for-cutting/ better than doing nothing, especially if you can’t feel their heartbeat. If you know the person, yell their name or try yelling something you know they wouldn’t like, to see if it arouses them. If yelling doesn’t wake them, and you’re able to get to the person safely, you can also attempt to perform a sternum rub by running your knuckles against the center of the person’s chest with some slight force to wake them.