Opioid Use Disorder and Overdose
Opioid overdose is the leading cause of accidental death in Rhode Island.
What you can do to prevent an overdose:
- Find harm reduction resources;
- Don't use alone – pair up;
- Don't mix drugs like benzodiazepines, alcohol, and opioids;
- Talk with friends and family about responding to an overdose and administering naloxone.
- Carry naloxone (also referred to as Narcan ®) on you at all times. Friends and family should learn how to administer it.
What friends and family can do to prevent an overdose:
- Call 911 if you think someone is overdosing. Stay with the person until the ambulance arrives.
- Try to wake the person up by yelling their name and rubbing the middle of the chest hard;
- Try rescue breathing;
- Put the person on their side so they do not choke;
- Stock and use naloxone to reverse an opioid overdose. Rhode Island Walgreens and CVS pharmacies sell this antidote without a doctor's prescription, and it is covered by most health insurers. Training on this drug will be provided when it is purchased;
- Store all medication in a secure location;
- Safely dispose of all unused or expired medications;
- Help a loved one connect to treatment, recovery, and harm reduction resources.
Signs of an overdose
If a person has any of these signs and cannot respond to you, he/she may be experiencing a drug overdose.
- Heavy nodding;
- No response when you yell the person's name or rub the middle of the chest hard;
- Blue lips or blue fingertips;
- Slow breathing (less than 1 breath every 5 seconds) or no breathing;
- Very limp body and very pale face;
- Choking sounds or a gurgling, snoring noise.