Overdose: Definition, Signs and Symptoms, Treatment

The rate of deaths from drug overdose has increased steadily over the past couple of decades. A drug overdose may occur when an individual consumes too much of a substance. One tab or dose could contain significantly less or significantly more chemical properties than another, which means there is a serious risk of overdose surrounding these drugs. Stimulants refer to a broad category of substances, with the most well-known being methamphetamines, cocaine, crack cocaine, and amphetamine-based ADHD medications (Adderall). Sedative overdoses can result in coma and death without immediate emergency service intervention. Narcan can quickly reverse the effects of an opioid overdose while waiting on emergency services to arrive.

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Blood can also be screened for various drugs in the system. If the patient is conscious, the physician may be able to find out what drugs were taken and in what amounts. However, if other drugs are taken at the same time as the opiates, they may counteract this effect on the pupils. Heroin, morphine, and codeine are narcotic or opiate drugs. Heart attack or stroke are serious risks within three days after cocaine overdose. Nervous system symptoms include confusion, hallucinations, tiredness, and ringing in the ears.

Causes and symptoms

In a 2020 study, 75% of overdose deaths involved a prescription or illicit opioid, including 62% that involved a synthetic opioid other than methadone, such as fentanyl.
This risk increases if you use multiple drugs, mix different drugs, or use them with alcohol.
An overdose of salicylates will cause metabolic acidosis and respiratory alkalosis, conditions in which the body’s pH (acid/base balance) malfunctions.
From 1999 to Feb 2019 in the United States, more than 770,000 people have died from drug overdoses.

Supervised injection sites (also known as overdose prevention centers) have been used to help prevent drug overdoses by offering opioid reversal medications such as naloxone, medical assistance and treatment options. Children are particularly at risk for accidental overdose, accounting for more than one million poisonings each year from drugs, alcohol, and other chemicals and toxic substances. The leading cause of drug overdoses today is opioid medications. Although many drug overdoses involve the use of illegal drugs, it is also possible to overdose on prescription medication. For the purposes of keeping to substances that are more likely to cause an overdose, those generally fall within the categories of alcohol, opioids, sedatives, stimulants, cannabis, and synthetic/designer drugs. Accidental drug overdose may be the result of the misuse of prescription medicines or commonly used medications such as pain relievers and cold remedies.

Intentional overdoses are suicide attempts through the overuse of a substance to not wake up, which also is a medical emergency that requires immediate care to reduce the chance of long-term harm or death. The 22,767 deaths relating to prescription drug overdose in 2013, 16,235 (71.3%) involved opioid painkillers, and 6,973 (30.6%) involved benzodiazepines. Paulozzi also testified that all available evidence suggests unintentional overdose deaths are related to the increasing use of prescription drugs, especially opioid painkillers. To protect children from accidental drug overdose, all medications should be stored in containers with child-resistant caps. If a drug overdose is discovered or suspected, and the person is unconscious, having convulsions, or not breathing, emergency help must be called immediately. Different drugs have varying effects on the body’s pH and on certain elements in the blood such as potassium and calcium .

Immediate care

An overdose is not the same as a poisoning, although the effects can be the same. An overdose is when you take more than the recommended amount of something, often a medicine or drug. Taking too many pills may lead to an overdose in some people. When taking a prescription medication, always follow a doctor’s instructions and take the medication exactly as they prescribed it. drug overdose meaning The appropriate number of pills depends on the person and their medication.

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The emergency room nurses perform the gastric lavage procedure on the patient who has overdosed, as well as administrating antidotes or other medications ordered by the doctor. Nurses play a vital role in helping victims of drug overdoses. Death can occur in almost any drug overdose situation, especially if treatment is not started immediately. Some drug overdoses cause the failure of major organs like the kidneys or liver, or failure of whole systems like the respiratory or circulatory systems.

The substance that has been taken may often be determined by asking the person. A person experiencing an opiate overdose usually will not wake up, even if their name is called or they are shaken vigorously. Drug overdose is sometimes used as a means to commit suicide, as the result of intentional or unintentional misuse of medication.

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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. Naloxone can be administered to reverse an opioid overdose. Drug overdose requires emergency help. Administer the naloxone and then stay with the person until emergency services arrive on the scene, or for at least four hours to monitor if their breathing has gone back to normal. It works by blocking the effects of opioids.

What are the risk factors for drug overdose?

It’s easy for children to get into and accidently overdose on drugs that aren’t properly sealed and stored away from them. An overdose can lead to serious medical complications, including death. 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.

Intentional misuse leading to overdose can include using prescribed or non-prescribed drugs in excessive quantities in an attempt to produce euphoria.
The term ‚overdose‘ is often misused as a descriptor for adverse drug reactions or negative drug interactions due to mixing multiple drugs simultaneously.
The CDC data shows a nearly 17% drop in reported overdose deaths during the 12 months ending in June, totaling 93,087.
All these substances are considered highly dangerous as there is rarely any standardization to them.
When it comes to drug overdose, being proactive is essential to reversing overdose and preventing death.

How to Help Someone Who is Overdosing

Blood and urine tests may show if there is damage to the liver or kidneys as a result of the overdose. The patient’s recent medical and social history may also help in a diagnosis. Digoxin, a drug used to regulate the heart, can cause irregular heartbeats, nausea, confusion, loss of appetite, and blurred vision.

This chronic condition involves the ongoing overuse of a substance. Follow a doctor or pharmacist’s directions for taking any prescription. Be sure to call 911 or take them to a nearby emergency room. Individuals experiencing a stimulant overdose should stay hydrated and cool.

Stabilization of the person’s airway, breathing, and circulation (ABCs) is the initial treatment of an overdose. Programs training police and fire personnel in opioid overdose response using naloxone have also shown promise in the U.S. Healthcare institution-based naloxone prescription programs have also helped reduce rates of opioid overdose in the U.S. state of North Carolina, and have been replicated in the U.S. military.

Here are some of the most important factors and symptoms to be aware of, as they often require emergency medical intervention. Depending on the type of substance, there are many different symptoms of an overdose. Among those ED visits, 501,207 visits were related to anti-anxiety and insomnia medications, and 420,040 visits were related to opioid analgesics. Of these, more than 1.4 million ED visits were related to prescription drugs. Poison control centers and medical toxicologists are available in many areas to provide guidance in overdoses both to physicians and to the general public.

If you believe someone is experiencing a drug overdose, please stop reading and seek medical attention.

Due to their potential impact, using more than the recommended dose or in shorter periods than advised can quickly result in overdose symptoms. Generally, these medications are most often seen in the benzodiazepines class (Xanax, Valium, Klonopin) and less commonly among barbiturates (phenobarbital). Many substances can cause a state of sedation when abused due to how they interact with the central nervous system (CNS).

An adult (especially elderly persons or people taking many medications) can mistakenly ingest the incorrect medication or take the wrong dose of a medication. However, some people may be more sensitive to certain medications so that the high end of the therapeutic range of a drug may be toxic for them. If you misuse drugs, quitting is the best way for you to prevent a drug overdose. You should also not mix alcohol with prescription drugs without checking with your doctor first.

If you or someone you know has an opioid use disorder, it’s highly encouraged to have Narcan available in case of an overdose. One of the most effective strategies for preventing overdoses has been the use of Narcan, also known as naloxone. Opioid-related overdoses can range in severity, with many non-fatal overdoses occurring more often than fatal events. When .30% is reached, this is often where loss of life is a serious risk as the body is completely unable to function.

If the person who took the drug is not having symptoms, it is recommended not to wait to see if symptoms develop, but to call a poison control center immediately. Urine tests are another way to screen for some drugs and to detect changes in the body’s chemistry. Blood tests can be used to detect changes in body chemistry that may give as clues to what drugs were taken.