Purposeful overdoses are for a desired effect, either to get high or to harm oneself. A single dose of some medications can be lethal to a young child. In overdose, side effects become more pronounced, and other effects can take place, which would not occur with normal use. Exposure to chemicals, plants, and other toxic substances that can cause harm are called poisonings. Overdoses of drugs or chemicals can be either accidental or intentional. Do not combine any medications without first asking your doctor if it’s safe.
Emergency care
Always call 911 and never leave the person alone. Good Samaritan laws and similar legal protections exist across states to ensure you will not get into trouble for helping someone experiencing an overdose. If you aren’t sure if someone is overdosing, it’s best to act as if they are by seeking emergency help.
Overdose is the term used when someone enters into a critical state from ingesting too much of a substance or blend of substances. The CDC data shows a nearly 17% drop in reported overdose deaths during the 12 months ending in June, totaling 93,087. It is very rare for a victim of an overdose to have consumed just one drug. The National Center for Health Statistics reports that 19,250 people died of accidental poisoning in the U.S. in the year 2004 (eight deaths per 100,000 population).
Threats of suicide need to be taken seriously, and appropriate help sought for people with depression or other mental illness that may lead to suicide. When a family tries to minimize the intentional overdose, the nurse must strongly emphasize that any suicidal threat or act ought to be regarded as critical. A deliberate overdose can be a devastating event for the entire family, and the nurse can help foster communication between the patient and family members.
While many victims of drug overdose recover without long-term effects, there can be serious consequences. Once the overdose drug is identified, blood tests can be used to monitor how fast the drug is being cleared out of the body. Overdose symptoms can include slowed breathing, very low blood pressure, stupor, coma, shock , and death. An overdose of this drug can cause liver damage with symptoms that include loss of appetite, tiredness, nausea and vomiting, paleness, and sweating.
General Health
In the US around 77,600 people died in the 12-month period ending March 31, 2025, at a rate of 213 deaths per day. Similarly, benzodiazepine overdoses may be effectively reversed with flumazenil. Ventilation is considered when there is a low respiratory rate or when blood gases show the person to be hypoxic. Nevertheless, scale-up of healthcare-based opioid overdose interventions is limited by providers’ insufficient knowledge and negative attitudes towards prescribing take-home naloxone to prevent opioid overdose.
Signs and Symptoms
This means that if taken in the right doses, Naloxone (widely available without a prescription) can halt the effects of an opioid overdose and potentially save someone’s life. In 2019, opioids were involved in over 70% of all fatal overdoses, and of these, 72.9% of deaths involved a synthetic opioid like fentanyl. Many overdoses are believed to be accidental, happening when a person unknowingly ingests too much of a substance, but some are intentional when a person is attempting suicide. An overdose is the body’s biological response when too much of one substance, or multiple substances are taken. Last year, rates of fatal overdose rose 20% in one year, with the majority of fatal overdoses involving an opioid like heroin, prescription painkillers, or the synthetic opioid fentanyl. Unintentional, illicit drug overdose is a serious problem best solved by getting the person away from access to the illicit drug (see Drug Dependence and Abuse).
Medical Definition
Often, the bottle the drug came in will have the information needed. The best methods remove opportunities for accidental overdose or triggers for intentional overdose in the first place. This is especially true if these symptoms are not being treated. Depression and suicidal thoughts can be overdose triggers. Use profiles to select personalised content. Create profiles to personalise content.
In any case, if you suspect someone is having a stimulant overdose then contact the emergency services. Drugs like cocaine and methamphetamines increase the heart rate, body temperature, blood pressure, and breathing rate when abused. This can lead to alcohol overdose, more commonly referred to as alcohol poisoning. If someone consumes more alcohol than this in a short time frame, the body can’t metabolize the alcohol fast enough, forcing it to spread throughout and overwhelm the system. On average, the adult body can process one unit of alcohol per hour (one shot of liquor, half a pint of beer, 125ml of wine). Central nervous system (CNS) depressants lower blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature, and breathing rate.
What Is an Accidental Drug Overdose?
People with certain mental illnesses need the help of family and friends to assist with medication therapy and to lend social support. Everyone who suffers an overdose needs to be seen by his or her doctor for follow-up. Information provided about amount, time, and underlying medical problems will be very helpful. A history and physical examination to look for evidence of drug poisoning will be performed. If you have a problem with drug abuse, you may see an addiction specialist and a counselor to help deal with your addiction.
Lifestyle Quizzes
Around 80,000 of these deaths involved an opioid overdose. According to the National Harm Reduction Coalition, ingesting too much of one or multiple drugs can harm the body. It discusses what a drug overdose is, why it occurs, and how to prevent it.
Signs and symptoms of an overdose vary depending on the drug, its ingredients, the amount consumed, and exposure to toxins. The term ‘overdose’ is often misused as a descriptor for adverse drug reactions or negative drug interactions due to mixing multiple drugs simultaneously. Cocaine and opioid users who inject intravenously can easily overdose accidentally, as the margin between a pleasurable drug sensation and an overdose is small.
- This can include taking any amount of someone else’s medication or more than the doctor prescribed.
- Overdoses from psychedelics are rare and usually only occur when other substances are present.
- For example, the drug naloxone can help reverse the effects of a heroin overdose.
- Create profiles to personalise content.
- We do not receive any fee or commission dependent upon which treatment or provider a caller chooses.
Usage of illicit drugs, in large quantities, or after a period of drug abstinence can also induce overdose. The person to whom medication is prescribed should take it according to the directions. All drugs should be out of sight and out of reach of children, preferably in a locked cabinet. This medication should be used only on the advice of a medical professional. Ipecac syrup is an over-the-counter medication available from pharmacies, and no prescription is required.
- Illicit drugs, used to get high, may be taken in overdose amounts when a person’s metabolism cannot detoxify the drug fast enough to avoid unintended side effects.
- If a suicide attempt was the reason for the overdose, psychiatry services may need to be consulted.
- Alcohol poisoning is not uncommon for those who consume multiple alcoholic beverages a day over time.
Find Addiction Support
This type of overdose can cause heart attacks, strokes, and seizures. Overdosing on a stimulant such as cocaine increases heart rate, temperature, and blood pressure. This lack of oxygen can cause organ damage, unconsciousness, and even death. For example, overdosing on opioids adversely affects an individual’s ability to breathe. The information provided by Addiction Center is not a substitute for professional treatment advice. Addiction Center does not endorse any treatment facility or guarantee the quality of care provided, or the drug overdose meaning results to be achieved, by any treatment facility.
To prevent accidental overdoses, medications, even over-the-counter pain relievers and vitamins, must be kept in a safe, secure place. For some accidental drug overdoses, the local poison control center may recommend home therapy and observation. An emergency-medicine specialist in a hospital’s emergency department treats a drug overdose.
