If someone needs urgent medical attention, call triple zero and ask for an ambulance immediately. Learn more about what causes drug overdose and how to prevent it here. The Alcohol and Drug Foundation has more information about different types of drugs, their effects and risk factors.
If a person is physically unwell or unconscious, they need urgent medical attention — call and ask for an ambulance. Emergency phone operators are trained to help you and can provide advice about what you need to do while you're waiting for emergency services to arrive.
Police do not routinely attend alcohol poisoning or drug overdose emergencies, but you should tell the emergency phone operator if you think someone might harm themselves or others. When you call triple zero , you will be asked which service you require. Tell the operator that you need an ambulance — you will be transferred to an ambulance operator and asked for the following information:. The operator will organise assistance for you while you continue talking on the phone, even though you may not hear them do this.
Tell the operator if you have naloxone on-hand. Naloxone is a medication used to reverse the effects of opioid drugs like heroin and morphine. Emergency markers are in locations with no set address such as beaches, parks and trails or places that are difficult to find.
They are designed to pinpoint your exact location during an emergency. Treatment for a drug overdose or alcohol poisoning starts as soon as the person arrives at the emergency department.
On arrival, they see a specialist emergency nurse called the triage nurse who assesses how serious their condition is. In Australia, the triage system is used to guide hospital staff to see patients according to how sick they are.
If you are with someone who has overdosed and they are unable to speak for themselves, emergency staff will need your assistance. They may ask you lots of questions to help them work out the best course of treatment. This may include details about:. Overdose treatment may include:. If you can be treated in the emergency department, staff will monitor your condition.
They may suggest:. Naloxone is a lifesaving medication that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. Naloxone programs train people who may be at risk of overdose and their family and friends on how to prevent, recognise and respond to overdose including how to use naloxone.
There are many telephone alcohol and drug helplines dedicated to helping people in trouble. Whether you are in crisis or can see a crisis approaching, there are services that can give you advice and refer you to further treatment. This page has been produced in consultation with and approved by:.
Alcohol, medications, illegal drugs and some herbal remedies can all cause damage if an overdose is taken. The stress and influence of harmful substance use on family relationships is significant but there is a range of support available to help families cope with drug or alcohol addiction problems. Some people need to explore different treatment options for drug dependency before they find what works for them.
Content on this website is provided for information purposes only. If an individual consumes more alcohol than this in shorter time periods, the alcohol builds up in the body due to the body not being able to metabolize the alcohol fast enough, and an accumulation of alcohol spreads throughout the body.
This may lead to an alcohol overdose, better known as alcohol poisoning. Additional risks that can occur due to consuming larger amounts of alcohol than the body can metabolize are:. Make a Call Stimulants, such as meth or cocaine , work on the CNS, but in the opposite way of opioids. They will increase the heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, and breathing.
A stimulant overdose occurs when the cardiovascular system, respiratory system, or blood circulation rate is overworked to the point of breaking down. There are no FDA approved treatments for stimulant overdose. However, there are medications that can help reduce or stabilize elevated vital symptoms, such as blood pressure, pulse, body temperature and any respiratory irregularities.
There are also medications that can be used to stop an individual who is experiencing convulsions or seizures, such as anti-epileptic medications. Getting the individual to the nearest emergency room can save the persons life.
Remember, that being able to treat an overdose at home is not a replacement for a hospital. Even if the moment has passed, and the victim seems fine, there is still a chance that something is going on that cannot be seen by the human eye. Taking the victim to the hospital, can mean the difference between life and death. Overdose is a scary word. We often associate it with death, but the two are not always connected.
Life can go on after an overdose, but only if the person suffering understands and learns from it. While he was initially interested in a career in television, he saw an issue in his community and felt compelled to do something more. Now, he uses his knowledge to reach out to people who may need help and make the public aware of issues we are facing as a society.
All of the information on this page has been reviewed and verified by a certified addiction professional. Theresa is also a Certified Professional Life Coach and volunteers at a local mental health facility helping individuals who struggle with homelessness and addiction.
Theresa is a well-rounded clinician with experience working as a Primary Addiction Counselor, Case Manager and Director of Utilization Review in various treatment centers for addiction and mental health in Florida, Minnesota, and Colorado.
She also has experience with admissions, marketing, and outreach. As a proud recovering addict herself, Theresa understands first-hand the struggles of addiction. There is no limit to what Theresa is willing to do to make a difference in the field of Addiction! Call A treatment facility paid to have their center promoted here.
Learn more about how to be featured in a paid listing. It can be injected into the muscle or sprayed into the nose to rapidly block the effects of the opioid on the body.
Try to keep the person awake and breathing Lay the person on their side to prevent choking Stay with the person until emergency workers arrive Can an opioid overdose be prevented?
There are steps you can take to help prevent an overdose: Take your medicine exactly as prescribed by your health care provider. Do not take more medicine at once or take medicine more often than you are supposed to. Never mix pain medicines with alcohol, sleeping pills, or illegal substances Store medicine safely where children or pets can't reach it. Consider using a medicine lockbox.
Besides keeping children safe, it also prevents someone who lives with you or visits your house from stealing your medicines. Dispose of unused medicine promptly If you take an opioid, it is also important to teach your family and friends how to respond to an overdose. Start Here. Prevention and Risk Factors. Treatments and Therapies. Videos and Tutorials. Statistics and Research. Clinical Trials. Article: Training medical students in opioid overdose prevention and response: Comparison of Article: Fatal overdoses after release from prison in British Columbia: a retrospective Opioid Overdose -- see more articles.
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