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Overdose Advice & Overdose
Steps
| Contents Prevention
Overdose Intervention
What Not to Do
Related Internet Sites
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This information is given as a
guide only and does not replace proper first aid instruction. No responsibility
taken for the accuracy of this information or consequences of its use. See Disclaimer Notice
for more detail.
- Get trained in first aid. It may not only save your client's life, but also
someone you love. It sets a good example.
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| give the above advice to clients who are using
substances as well as their family and friends
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| provide yourself and clients with the St John's Simple
First Aid booklet - phone 1300 360 455 (free call in Australia).
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| advise clients to join an ambulance fund (or
advise friends & relatives to give as a gift or find a sponsor to subsidise the cost
of overdose call outs)
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Discuss risk of overdose with clients. Those at particular risk include:
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| previous overdose
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| mixing drugs - eg heroin &
tranquillisers/prescription drugs &/or alcohol
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| withdrawing from drugs (reduced tolerance)
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| drug users coming out of prison (reduced
tolerance)
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| coming on to naltrexone or methadone programs
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| depressed, evidence of high risk-taking, suicidal
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Discourage using substances alone (using alone can include using with others who are
also heavily sedated and/or who don't care)
If using alone develop strategies for seeking assistance during first signs of OD
Encourage clients to contact ambulance immediately for friends if they suspect overdose
(police will not be called in WA unless death or violence - (click here for police guidelines re illicit
drugs & overdoses in other Australian states - PDF format). This should be their first
action but not their last (ie see interventions)
Don't let clients go home alone if you suspect heavy drug use. Stay with them,
call a close friend/partner, use sobering-up facilities or call an ambulance.
Support peer education networks
Contact the Opiate Overdose Prevention Strategy (OOPS) project team in
Perth for more information (08) 9370 0333
Provide overdose post cards, 'Z-card' fridge magnets and other overdose information
If Narcan (a reversal drug for opoid overdose) is used, advise to stay with others as
they may lapse back into unconsciousness when the Narcan wears off
Work towards reduced substance where possible and appropriate - discuss reduced
tolerance in the context of relapse prevention
Liaise with other health & welfare service providers, particularly police, ambulance
officers, A&E hospital workers and Prison/Parole workers.
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This information is given as a guide only
and does not replace proper first aid instruction. No responsibility taken for the
accuracy of this information or consequences of its use. See Disclaimer Notice
for more detail.
Don't let them 'sleep it off'. They may roll on their back, vomit
and stop breathing.
Warning signs include:
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| Failing to Respond
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| Snoring and/or Gurgling
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| Blue Lips and/or Fingernails
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Place them in the recovery position as below.
Get someone to call an ambulance (000).
Ambulance officers are not obliged to contact the police (in WA)
- unless physically threatened or death occurs.
Use the DR-ABC method:
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| Danger
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| Check for your and their safety (eg traffic)
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| Response
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| Gently shake & call name. If a response,
keep talking.
They may lapse into unconsciousness.
If no response, turn on side (recovery position).
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| Airway
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| Check & clear airway while on side by removing
any obstructions
- possibly use a two-finger scoop from top to bottom.
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| Gently tilt head back and open mouth.
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| Breathing
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| Check for breathing by listening and watching for the
rise and fall of the chest.
Use your cheek to feel any breath.
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| If not breathing, commence mouth-to-mouth
resuscitation.
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| Give 5 full breaths in 10 seconds with the head
tilted back, chin forward,
nose pinched and mouth sealed over the person.
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| Circulation
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| If breathing doesn't start, check the pulse in their
neck (Carotid Pulse).
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| If pulse, continue mouth-to-mouth @ 15 breaths per
minute.
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| If no pulse, commence Cardio-Pulmonary-Resuscitation
(CPR)
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| Gently (but firmly) press the lower third of the
breast bone about once a second,
using a rocking motion, with your body weight over the person and straight arms,
one hand over the other using the ball of your hand.
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| If one operator, 15 compressions to 2 breaths
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| If two operators, 5 compressions to 1 breath
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What Not to Do
Do not wait for things to get better or for the drug to wear off - call an ambulance;
better safe than sorry - this is about life and death.
Do not inject salt water - it simply doesn't work and wastes valuable time
Do not try to give anything by mouth to someone who has overdosed (eg, tea, coffee,
alcohol). Apart from not working, you may make them vomit.
If someone is unconscious, it is not recommended that you make them vomit. There
is a significant risk or them inhaling their vomit and suffocating.
Do not inject amphetamines or other stimulants to try to reverse the effects of heroin.
It doesn't work and can complicate further emergency procedures.
Do not put an unconscious person in a bath - they may drown. However, if someone
has overdosed on stimulants (particularly Ecstasy), and their body feels very hot,
consider using water soaked cloth to cool them as the ambulance arrives.
Do not use again after being revived, particularly if Naloxone/Nacan has been used.
Narcan may wear off while your first dose is still active. A further
depressant drug (heroin, Valium, alcohol, etc) will likely lead to another overdose.
Do not get aggressive with ambulance officers for saving your life. You may
attract the police if they feel threatened, you make it difficult for others who overdose
and it's not polite.
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Related Internet Sites
[ Conference - Preventing Heroin Overdose: Pragmatic Approaches
Jan 2000 Seattle - USA ]
[ Quick Overdose Tips USA ]
[ WA
Opiate Overdose Strategy & Resources (WADASO Web) - Australia]
[ Opiate Overdose Prevention Strategy (OOPS) - Australia]
Signs
someone has dropped
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What
to do if someone drops
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When
you call an ambulance
[ Turning Point Overdose Prevention, Research
& DROP Program Australia]
[ How Can We Reduce Heroin "Overdose" Deaths? ] Dr
Wayne D. Hall.
[ Heroin Overdose: The Case for Take-Home
Naloxone John Strang, Shane Darke, Wayne Hall, et al. ]
[ Drug-Specific First Aid Information - UK
]
[ Overdose Information - USA]
[ Guidelines From Different Australian States
For Police Attendance At Overdoses (PDF) ]
Search the Rx List below for pharmaceutical drug
information including overdose info.
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