Alternate Names: Overdose from drugs

Considerations:

Many street drugs have no therapeutic benefits. Any use of them at all is a form of drug abuse.

Legitimate drugs can be abused by people who take more than the recommended dose or take a medication with alcohol or another drug.

Drug interactions also produce adverse effects. Therefore, it is important to let your physician know about all the drugs you are taking.

Many drugs are addictive. Sometimes the addiction is gradual, while with others (like cocaine) an addiction can happen almost immediately.

A drug dose that is large enough to be toxic is called an overdose. Prompt medical attention may save the life of someone who accidentally or deliberately takes an overdose.

Drug emergencies are not always easy to identify. If you suspect someone has overdosed, or if you suspect someone is experiencing withdrawal, give first aid.

Someone who has become addicted to a drug probably won’t be able to stop without experiencing withdrawal. Withdrawal is greatly assisted by professional help.

Causes:

• An overdose of narcotics can cause sleepiness and even unconsciousness.
• Uppers (stimulants) produce excitement, increased rate of heartbeat, and rapid breathing. Downers (depressants) do just the opposite.
• Mind-altering drugs, including LSD and other street drugs, may produce paranoia, hallucinations, aggressive behavior, or extreme social withdrawal.
• Illegal drugs such as marijuana may produce euphoria, anxiety, redness of the eyes, and slurred speech.
• Legal drugs can adversely interact with other medications you may also be taking or can produce an allergic reaction in certain individuals. Legal prescription drugs are often taken in overdose to achieve effects other than the therapeutic effects for which they were intended. This may lead to exaggeration of their effect (as can happen with uppers and downers), or serious side effects.

Symptoms:

Drug overdose symptoms:

• Abnormal pupil size
  • Dilated pupils (enlarged)
  • Pinpoint pupils (very small)
  • Nonreactive pupils (pupils do not change size when exposed to light)
• Nausea and vomiting
• Sweating
• Agitation
• Convulsions
• Tremors
• Staggering or unsteady gait (ataxia)
• Difficulty breathing
  • Rapid breathing (tachypnea)
  • Shallow decreased breathing (respiratory depression)
  • Labored breathing
• Drowsiness
• Unconsciousness (coma)
• Hallucinations
• Terror
• Delusional or paranoid behavior
• Violent behavior
• Death

Drug withdrawal symptoms:

• Agitation
• Cold sweat
• Convulsions
• Delusions
• Depression
• Hallucinations
• Nausea and vomiting
• Severe abdominal cramping
• Diarrhea
• Restlessness
• Shaking
• Death

Do Not:

• DO NOT Jeopardize your own safety. Some drugs can cause violent and unpredictable behavior. Get professional help.
• DO NOT Offer your opinions when offering assistance. You don’t need to know why drugs were taken to give first aid.
• DO NOT Try to reason with someone who is on drugs. Do not expect them to behave reasonably.

Call If:

• You encounter a person who you suspect is experiencing either drug overdose or withdrawal. The Poison Control Center can help. See information on poison centers in the U.S.A. for phone numbers and addresses. Try to find out what drug the victim has taken. If possible, collect all drug containers and any remaining drug samples or the person’s vomit for analysis.
• The victim has difficulty breathing, has a seizure, is drowsy or unconscious, or shows other life-threatening symptoms.

First Aid: 1. Check the victim’s airway, breathing and circulation. If necessary, begin CPR at once. If the victim is unconscious but breathing, carefully place him or her in the recovery position. If the victim is conscious, loosen the clothing, keep the person warm and provide reassurance. Try to keep the victim calm. If an overdose is suspected, try to prevent the victim from taking more drugs.

2. Treat the victim for signs of shock if necessary. Signs include weakness, bluish lips and fingernails, clammy skin, paleness, and decreasing alertness.

3. If the victim is having convulsions, give convulsion, first aid.

4. Keep monitoring the victim’s vital signs (pulse, rate of breathing, blood pressure) until the arrival of emergency medical assistance.