Drug overdose means consuming excessive medication, whether prescribed, illegal, legal, or over-the-counter. Drug overdoses can be intentional or accidental. If you’ve consumed more than the prescribed amount for a drug, it can have an adverse effect on your body.
Drug overdose can lead to severe medical complications. The severity of these health issues depends on the drug type, the amount consumed, and the patient’s medical history.
Risk Factors of Drug Overdose
Various factors influence the risk of a drug overdose. These are:
- Improper Drug Storage– improper drug storage is a threat to children. They can accidentally overdose on drugs if they find medication lying around the house.
- Ignoring Dosage Instructions-adults who ignore the drug labels can accidentally overdose on medication. Consuming drugs more than the recommended amount or sooner than instructed can result in a drug overdose. Therefore, ignoring your doctor’s instructions and taking too much medication can risk your health.
- History of Addiction– intentionally using illicit drugs or misusing prescribed drugs can subject you to a drug overdose. This happens when you’re unable to stop yourself from taking drugs. Substance abuse increases the chances of a drug overdose when you use multiple drugs simultaneously or use them with alcohol.
- History of Mental Disorders– mental disorders can often result in a drug overdose. People with suicidal thoughts and depression experience overdose triggers. This happens when you leave your symptoms untreated and continue to take multiple medicines.
Symptoms of Drug Overdose
If you’ve overdosed on a drug, you may experience several symptoms. Symptoms vary from person to person, the type of drug used, and the amount consumed. However, some of the most common symptoms include:
- nausea and vomiting
- drowsiness
- loss of consciousness
- trouble breathing
- difficulty walking
- agitation
- aggression or violence
- enlarged pupils
- tremors
- convulsions
- hallucinations or delusions
If you experience or witness any of these symptoms, immediately reach out to your doctor. Identifying drug overdose is easy when you know you’ve consumed plenty of drugs. However, seeking medical assistance makes a big difference and can help you get proper treatment.
Treating Drug Overdose
Treating drug overdose depends on the severity of your situation. Telling your doctor the drug amount you consumed could help them treat you better. However, that’s not always certain. General treatment procedures for drug overdose include:
- Inserting a breathing tube or clearing the airway if there’s a problem with your breathing.
- They use activated charcoal to absorb the drug from your digestive tract.
- Induce vomiting to remove the substance from your stomach.
- Removing the substance from your body by pumping your stomach.
- Speeding up your body’s ability to remove the substance through intravenous fluids.
Doctors may also use antidotes for certain drug overdoses. For instance, the naloxone drug reverses the effects of a heroin overdose.
Preventing an Overdose
You can prevent overdosing on drugs in many ways. Some of the best methods limit the chances of triggers for intentional and accidental overdose. If you have medications in the house, ensure to keep them out of your children’s reach. If you’re using perception drugs, strictly follow your doctor’s directions. Avoid combining medication unless you ask your doctor if it’s safe. You should also avoid consuming medicines with alcohol without consulting with your doctor first.
If you’ve been abusing drugs, then quitting is the best solution for you to prevent a drug overdose. You must understand that consuming drugs through certain methods is more harmful than others. For example, injecting or inhaling drugs affects your brain functions faster and increases your urge to consume more drugs. If you find it difficult to quit, consult your doctor or seek therapies to overcome your substance abuse.
There are various programs to help people overcome substance abuse. Ensure nothing triggers your desire to consume drugs by consulting your doctor in a timely fashion. Your doctor can also help you get appropriate psychiatric care depending on your condition’s severity.
Another effective method to prevent drug overdose is treating your addiction through rehabilitation. If you’re tempted to use drugs even after completing the treatment program, avoid consuming your usual dosage. This is because your tolerance reduces during the treatment program, and taking the usual hit will adversely affect your body.
If you can’t afford the treatment program, reach out to Advocate My Meds. They are a full-service prescription assistance organization that helps millions of uninsured Americans afford the medicine they need. For more details, call them today!
About the Author
The author is a pharmacist and a regular contributor to the site. With vast experience in the medicinal field, they work on increasing awareness regarding drug abuse.
