Recognizing the most common opioid overdose symptoms is a crucial step in diagnosing and treating potentially fatal reactions to opioid drugs. Identifying the signs of an opioid overdose is key in the most critical situations, as the individual often won’t be able to tell you what they’ve taken.
Bystander intervention in emergencies makes all the difference because an opioid overdose can claim lives in just minutes. Being prepared to administer emergency treatment is critical in reducing the impact of the opioid epidemic.
Telltale Signs of an Opioid Overdose
An opioid overdose is typically identified when an individual has a combination of the following three common signs and symptoms:
- Pinpoint pupils: Expect the pupils to appear severely constricted.
- Loss of consciousness: The patient may appear in a coma-like state.
- Breathing difficulties: Slow or shallow breathing indicates a critical case. Brian Graddon, ex-SWAT medic and CEO of True Rescue, explains: “These could be signs that the patient’s respiratory drive is depressed as a result of opioids, and they may not be getting enough oxygen.”
These symptoms flag that immediate action is required. Opioid misuse can be fatal because it impacts the part of the brain that regulates breathing. Consider these signs as a medical emergency.
Other Signs of an Opioid Overdose
Other signs can also indicate severe opioid poisoning. These include:
- Discolored fingernails and lips: They may appear blue or purple.
- Unresponsiveness
- Slow heartbeat or low blood pressure
- Pale, clammy skin
- Choking or gurgling noises
Opioid overdoses are increasing due to the presence of potent opioids like fentanyl in other illegal drugs. Dealers do this to increase the potency of their products while reducing their own costs. Be aware that patients with the above symptoms are likely going through an opioid overdose, even if evidence suggests they’ve consumed another substance.
How to Treat an Opioid Overdose
Take the following steps immediately if you suspect an opioid overdose:
- Call 9-1-1 and tell the operator you suspect an opioid overdose.
- Administer NARCAN® Nasal Spray. This medication is highly effective at reversing opioid overdoses and should be given without hesitation. Administer a second dose if the individual fails to respond after 2-3 minutes.
- When the patient is revived, keep them awake, alert, and breathing. Lay them down on their side to prevent choking.
- Stay with the patient until the emergency medical services arrive.
Administer NARCAN During Any Suspected Overdose
It can be complex to know with certainty if someone is experiencing an opioid overdose. However, treating every overdose as an opioid overdose is a good rule of thumb that will save lives.
Other drugs like methamphetamines, cocaine, heroin, and MDMA are often cut with illegal synthetic opioids. This raises the chances of an inadvertent overdose as dosing is made a lot more difficult.
Administering NARCAN (naloxone) won’t harm a patient who hasn’t consumed opioids. However, it may save their life if the substance the person took was adulterated with potent opioids without their knowledge.
How Naloxone Treats an Opioid Overdose
Naloxone (NARCAN®)—is a life-saving medication that rapidly reverses an opioid overdose. It works as an opioid antagonist by attaching to the brain’s opioid receptors and blocking the dangerous effects of opioid drugs.
Naloxone quickly restores normal breathing when breathing has slowed or even stopped. However, one dose of naloxone is only effective for between 30 and 90 minutes. Carrying two nasal sprays is best alongside getting professional medical assistance.
What’s Behind the High Number of Opioid Overdoses?
There are many reasons for the opioid epidemic hitting the United States and other countries around the world. The following are some of the key factors:
- Opioids were widely prescribed by doctors for pain relief in the late 1990s. The drugs were marketed as safe and non-addictive. However, this led to a rise in opioid use disorder and overdose deaths involving prescription opioids.
- The high price of opioid-based prescription medications: Heroin is estimated to be up to 10 times cheaper than prescription opioid medications purchased on the street. The increased use of heroin is attributed to the tightening of access to prescription opioid medications as pain relievers.
- The widespread presence of fentanyl: Illicitly manufactured fentanyl is often mixed with other drugs without the user’s knowledge. The presence is the driving factor behind the huge number of opioid overdose deaths each year in the United States.
Opioid Overdoses in Numbers
The concerning number of opioid overdoses across the country is a wake-up call for community members to reduce the impact of this crisis. The scale of the opioid epidemic can be seen in the following figures:
- Opioid-connected overdose fatalities rose from 49,860 in 2019 to 81,806 in 2022.
- Commonly prescribed opioids are no longer the driving force behind the crisis. However, they were still linked to 14,716 deaths in 2022.
- The overall number of heroin-connected overdose fatalities is generally going down but deaths co-involving heroin and fentanyl skyrocketed to 80% in 2022.
- Almost 70% of stimulant-involved overdose deaths (for example cocaine or methamphetamines) involved fentanyl in 2022.
The trend we see in these figures is how the presence of the synthetic opioid fentanyl is impacting overdose deaths, even when the primary substance taken wasn’t opioids. This underlines the importance of carrying naloxone as at-risk people are easily exposed to deadly amounts of fentanyl without their knowledge.
Risk Factors for Opioid Overdoses
Certain factors increase the risk of individuals experiencing opioid overdoses. These include:
- Suffering from an opioid use disorder
- Injecting opioids
- Resumption of opioid use following a period of abstinence. This could be due to detoxification, incarceration, or cessation of treatment in the case of prescription opioid medications.
- Prescription opioid misuse: Using prescription opioids without proper medical supervision.
- Exceptionally high prescribed opioid dosage equal to 100mg of morphine or equivalent every day.
- Consuming opioids in combination with other substances like alcohol and/or other substances that suppress respiratory function. These include benzodiazepines (“benzos”), barbiturates, anesthetics, or pain medications.
- Suffering from concurrent medical conditions like HIV, lung or liver diseases, or mental health conditions.
Men, younger people, and people with low socio-economic status are also generally at higher risk of opioid overdoses.
Be Prepared to Reverse an Opioid Overdose
The opioid crisis hitting the United States is impossible to ignore, with communities across the country searching for adequate responses. Bystanders play a crucial role in reducing the impact of the misuse of prescription and illicit drugs and ultimately lowering overdose deaths in their area.
The two best ways to help a person suffering an opioid overdose are recognizing the signs and carrying naloxone. These two factors will place you well to offer the rapid life-saving treatment vulnerable members of your community need.
