Opioid Overdose

Opioid Overdose General Information

Opioids, in medical terminology are just some very strong pain relievers. The action they have in the body is very much alike the morphine has. The dependence is an extremely unpleasant multitude of symptoms that result after stopping abruptly the using of the drug. As examples we can provide morphine, oxycodone (Oxycontin, Percodan, and Percocet), heroin, hydromorphone (Dilaudid), fentanyl (Duragesic), methadone, codeine or hydrocodone (Vicodin). Not all these drugs can be treated with naloxone. It may not produce any positive effects when dealing with Clonidine, Xanax, Valium, Elavil, Clonopin (non-opioid sedatives) or amphetamines, cocaine (stimulants). Some of these can be taken alone or in combinations with other ones, producing the same destructive effects on men and women. Any opioid can determine dependence, but the strongest one is heroin, illegal in many states. The dependence occurs after a person starts the prescribed treatment for pain. If this medication is supervised by a health care provider the Opioid Overdose can not appear because the dosage is medically controlled. The danger appears when the patient takes unsupervised doses of pain relievers. Otherwise, the addiction occurs very rarely. Opioid Overdoses usually end with the death of the overdosed person even if he or she only takes just one drug. These cases are relatively few, because many people, after trying a drug, use it then in combination with other depressants like benzodiazepines or alcohol. In the case of Opioid Overdose the death comes after a couple of hours after the drugs were injected. Very dangerous are the combinations of various sedatives.

Opioid Overdose Symptoms

The symptoms of an Opioid Overdose are many and differ from case to case, from drug to drug. Being strong sedating drugs, the people may become tranquil and introspective. If an opioid is used alone, it will not have the same effects as when it is used in combination with other pain relievers. When checking if someone had an overdose you should check first the responsiveness. An overdose usually manifests after two or three hours after the injection. The main signs after which you should guide to observe an overdoser are: slowed breathing, slow, deep gurgling or snoring, nail beds and cyanotic- bluish lips or an absence when stimulating. Because after they are used the pain is gone (or not felt anymore), an opioids produces euphoria. Some addicted persons may complain about a low blood pressure, itching, slow heart rate, constipation, constricted pupils, warm or flushed skin and a low temperature of the body. If older people use opioids, they could become confused and their mental status could alter. Opioid Overdose produces very often extreme complications that lead to the individual death. The worst adverse effects appear when the injections are made with unsterilized needles. Respiratory problems may be developed by some addicts, such as pneumonia, scarring, abscesses or pulmonary emboli. Immune system plays an important role in the life of an overdoser. Many HIV-positives spread their immunodeficiency virus by sharing the needles they used. Many persons addicted to opioid drugs end to have neurological problems and they may reach to coma very often.

Opioid Overdose Treatment

This kind of overdose is very easy to prevent. Opioid Overdose must be treated as fast as possible so that any mortal complications do not develop. The person must be taken quickly to detoxification where will receive the medical support needed. There are some emergency methods to prevent the death of the patient. He or she will be given, intravenously, an antidote for the opioid, called nalaxone or Narcan. This is a substance that gave really effective and good results in all patients because blocks the receptors in the brain for opioid so that the overdose is reversed. Even if the overdoser does not receive any medical services, this only drug can save him or her from dying. In the case of Opioid Overdose, it is necessary breathing support because the overdose may sometimes suppress breathing. A pulmonary ventilator is very often used to grant the patient the best medical care. If nalaxone is used in a person who is not having an overdose, it will not have any side effects or make that person get high. The regular dose in treating Opioid Overdose is 1 cc injected into a large muscle (for example, the upper arm or thigh) and if this does not produce any effects, after 5 minutes you should try again, with another needle. The death occurs usually in experienced users who exaggerate with the doses and after two or three hours later, not immediately. It is important that nalaxone is given only if you think the person is dying because it puts him or her into withdrawal. Against an opioid withdrawal is used almost all the time with the drug Clonidine. But this drug develops very often side effects, such as drowsiness, irritability, low blood pressure, headaches, restlessness, faster heartbeat and insomnia. Another drug that provides treatment is methadone, itself an opioid. This one has less negative aspects on the brain function than the other opioids and must be taken by mouth, once a day. The dosage may decrease day by day. A long maintenance program may be based on methadone. If the addictive persons are maintained months or even years with doses of methadone that are regular, they become capable to socialize and to be productive.

But not all patients can be rehabilitated, so that the treatment with methadone must be followed the whole life. They must present to a clinic because there the drug is dispensed in a very small amount. Serious withdrawal symptoms are stopped from developing. The risk of death may be reduced at the beginning of the treatment by ensuring to the patient a careful assessment, a supervising consumption of initial doses and that these are less than 25 mg. Many patients end their therapy for Opioid Overdose before the right term so that they are very predisposed to overdoses. This act may be determined by an intolerance of the treatment or a high poly drug usage. Many communities developed programs in order to help the addicted persons that confront with Opioid Overdose.