How to Spot an Overdose
There were 3,346 drug poisoning deaths registered in England and Wales in 2014, the highest since comparable records began in 1993.
As the use of drugs continues to rise, so does the number of overdoses. Every time a user takes another hit, it is another possibility to OD. This horrible fact alone should keep many more people away from drugs than it does. On top of the possibility of overdosing, any use of drugs is going to be affecting the ability of the body to run normally, creating a dependency and causing health problems too.
Definition
Overdose is defined as: an excessive and dangerous quantity taken of a drug, by the Oxford Dictionary of English. With prescribed medication, this would be more than the recommended dosage, with illegal drugs of course there is no recommended quantity and so this is harder to judge. The body varies from person to person in exactly how it manifests or deals with drugs. But each body has a limit it can deal with, once that is reached there are certain reactions to look for. Remember not all overdoses lead inevitably to death but even when the dosage is non-fatal, it can still have seriously harmful impacts on the person’s body and mind. The faster it can be spotted and addressed the more likely the person is to survive or survive with minimal consequences.
Symptoms
The following symptoms can be indicators of an overdose:
- Vomiting – This is actually a defensive mechanism for the body, a way of purging itself of unwanted substances. Though with alcohol this may seem normal it is not. This is the liver being unable to handle the toxic amounts of alcohol in your system and the body turning to the desperate measure of vomiting to try and avoid more alcohol entering its system. The alcohol still in the system must be digested and will continue to cause reactions.
- Sweating – When the body overheats it sweats, in effort to cool itself down. Drugs introduced into the body can cause it to overheat, or fool it into thinking its overheating. Both of these reactions can cause excessive sweating leading to dangerous levels of dehydration. Further, it can happen that when the body reaches the stage of dehydration, the sweating stops but the drug continues to cause overheating - all the more serious as the body is no longer able to sweat to reduce its temperature.
- Mental Impairment – Now most drugs affect the mind, even when taken in non-excessive amounts so it can be harder to look out for. But if you see anything that seems extreme, you could be looking at an overdose symptom, such as intense depression, strong hallucinations, strong unawareness or total collapse.
- Irregular Breathing – When too much of a foreign substance is introduced into the body, the body’s basic systems can begin to malfunction, or even shut down. If someone is panting, has shallow breathing, or even stops breathing, you have strong indicators of an overdose. By catching it at panting or shallow breathing you may be able to get help in time to avoid a total shut down.
- Convulsions – This is one of the more dangerous signs of an overdose. The drugs have affected the brain to the point of causing electric shock. The muscles go rigid and relax rapidly, causing an uncontrollable shaking.
If you see signs of an overdose you should get help, call 999 or find someone nearby who is medically trained. In these cases, it is always better to be safe than sorry, as by jumping on the symptoms early you may be saving a life. Whether intentional or accidental an overdose is a sure sign that someone is in need of help and if you see signs of addiction, an overdose is always a possibility.
