Drug Overdose

An overdose is a term used to describe the biochemical reaction of the human body to the huge wave of substance or mix of substances received and absorbed. An overdose can be deliberate or accidental, and people can overdose on illegal drugs, alcohol, prescription medications, and many other substances.

Overdoses are fatal in most cases, but most who experience an overdose can be revived with prompt medical attention. Although various drugs can overwhelm the body in different ways, respiratory failure stands to be the most common cause of death in the event of any chemical overdose.

Depressants are drugs that influence the central nervous system (CNS), such as opioids, benzodiazepines, and alcohol. CNS depressants reduce blood pressure and body temperature and slow down the heart rate and breathing, resulting in sedation, diminished anxiety, and enhanced calmness and euphoric highs. Thus, when depressants are taken in dangerously high doses, adverse side effects such as respiratory failure, coma, or even death can occur due to overdose.

Opioids are regarded as one of the easiest drugs to overdose on, considering its function when consumed. When an individual consumes an opioid, the opioid receptors located in various areas of the body, including the brain, central nervous system, and gastrointestinal tract, activate and slow down the body. When the body is overwhelmed with opioids, these receptors get blocked and find it difficult to perform other functions. This leads to a higher risk of an overdose, which may slow down the user’s breathing to the point of failure.

Certain opioids can be more or less severe than others. While it may take a few minutes for individuals who consume heroin to encounter an overdose, individuals who consume fentanyl may experience it in a matter of seconds. Such strong opioids were the prime cause of the national opioid epidemic in 2017.

Popularly marketed under the brand name of Narcan, naloxone is an opioid agonist that inhibits the effects of opioids in the body. When an individual faces an opioid overdose, administering one or two doses of Narcan, depending on the severity of the overdose, will potentially stop the condition from worsening and save their life. Narcan is generally available throughout the country without a prescription.

An alcohol overdose occurs when an individual consumes more alcohol than what the body can process safely. The body can generally metabolize about one unit of pure alcohol per hour (estimated to be the volume of alcohol in a small shot of liquor, half a pint of beer, or one-third of a glass of wine). Thus, when an individual consumes more alcohol than this within a short span, the body may find it difficult to process the alcohol fast enough, causing the excess alcohol to keep circulating in the body. This may result in an alcohol overdose, also known as alcohol poisoning.

Some of the risks of alcohol poisoning are:

• Seizures
• Mental confusion
• Slow breathing (fewer than eight breaths per minute)
• Irregular breathing (a gap of 10 seconds or more between breaths)
• Vomiting
• Hypothermia
• A decrease in heart rate

Some of the risk factors that influence the likelihood of having an alcohol overdose are:

• Age
• Gender
• Body mass/size
• Tolerance
• Binge drinking
• Drug use
• Other underlying health conditions

Stimulants, such as meth and cocaine, operate on the CNS in a unique way in comparison to opioids by raising heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, and breathing. Thus, a stimulant overdose transpires when the cardiovascular system, respiratory system, or blood circulation rate increase to the point of exhaustion.

Some of the symptoms of a stimulant overdose are:

• Twitching or rigid limbs
• Seizures
• Rapidly increasing body temperature
• Rapidly increasing pulse
• Chest pain
• Loss of consciousness or episodes of blackouts
• Pounding headaches
• Profuse sweating
• Irritability or agitation
• Disorientation
• Severe hypertension
• Delirium
• Stroke
• Cardiac arrest
• Cardiovascular collapse
• Abnormal or shallow breathing

Currently, there are no FDA sanctioned treatments for a stimulant overdose. However, there are a few medications available to reduce or stabilize the elevated vital symptoms, such as pulse, body temperature, blood pressure, and any respiratory irregularities. Certain anti-epileptic drugs are also available to manage an individual experiencing seizures or convulsions during an overdose.

• Around 63,600 deaths in 2016 were attributed to drug overdoses.
• An average of 130 individuals experiences a fatal opioid overdose each day.

Overdose is a horrifying term that is often related to death. However, overdose and death do not always go hand in hand if proper treatment is acquired in time. The development of drug tolerance and polydrug abuse is generally the main cause of an overdose in many individuals. Hence it is vital that individuals who abuse drugs and alcohol seek treatment for their addiction to avoid such severe consequences.