If you see signs of overdose call 911 and administer Naloxone (opioid reversal drug).
signs of overdose:
- Loss of consciousness
- Unresponsive to outside stimulus
- Awake, but unable to talk
- Slow, erratic, shallow breathing or has stopped breathing
- Skin tone turns bluish-purple for lighter-skinned people and grayish or ashen for darker-skinned people. Fingernails and lips turn blue or purplish black
- Choking sound or snore-like gurgling noise
- Vomiting
- Limp body
- Face is very pale or clammy
- Pulse is slow or not there at all
- It is rare for someone to die immediately from an overdose. People survive because someone is there to respond. It is worth trying to wake someone if they are making unfamiliar sounds while they appear to be “sleeping”. It may be an opportunity to save a life.
about Naloxone
Naloxone is a prescription medication that temporarily stops the effect of opioids. Naloxone is the generic name of the drug, other names include Narcan and Evzio.
Naloxone has no effect on someone who has not taken opioids and has a long safety history with rare adverse side effects. Attend a training on how to use Naloxone and keep some with you in case of emergencies.
administering Naloxone
- Some individuals are non-responsive after the first dosage. A second or third dosage may be required.
- Observation needed. If you have administered Naloxone and revived someone, still seek medical help. The effects of an opiate may come back and cause death.