Opioid overdose: Difference between revisions
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==Symptoms== |
==Symptoms== |
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[[Toxidromes#Opiate_toxidrome|Opiate overdose symptoms and signs]] include: decreased level of consciousness and pinpoint pupil except with [[meperidine]] ( Demerol ) where one sees dilated pupils. |
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==Treatment== |
==Treatment== |
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Revision as of 21:23, 2 March 2011
| Opioid overdose | |
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| Specialty | Emergency medicine, addiction medicine  |
An opioid overdose is due to excessive use of narcotics.
It should not be confused with opioid dependency.
Symptoms
Opiate overdose symptoms and signs include: decreased level of consciousness and pinpoint pupil except with meperidine ( Demerol ) where one sees dilated pupils.
Treatment
Narcan is very effective reversing the cause, rather than just the symptoms, of an opioid overdose.[1] Its generic being naloxone, a stronger variant is naltrexone. Naltrexone is meant to reverse longer acting opioids without having to continually redose, as the administering medical professional is trained to must with naloxone, as the drug has its own metabolic half-life in vivo and is made to block the activity of the opioid depressants already in the bloodstream that it is protecting against. Revivon is another such class of drug as the former two (opioid antagonist) but meant to save one from a mistaken contact to the variety of super strong opiate based giant animal tranquilizers which could kill a human when untreated even if a drop falls upon unbroken skin.
Co-ingestion
Opioid overdoses associated with a conjunction of benzodiazepines or alcohol use leads to a condition contraindicated wherein higher instances of general negative overdose traits native to the overdose profile of opioid use alone but to a much greater extent.[2][3] Other CNS depressants, or "downers", muscle relaxers, pain relievers, anti-convulsants, anxiolytics (anti-anxiety drugs), treatment drugs of a psychoactive or epileptic variety or any other such drug with its active function meant to calm or mitigate neuronal signaling (barbiturates, etc) can additionally cause a worsened condition with less likelihood of recovery cumulative to each added drug of a diverse or disparate hampering effect to the central or peripheral nervous system of the user. Including drugs less immediately classed to a slowing of the metabolism such as with GABAergics like GHB or to glutamatergic antagonists like PCP or Ketamine.
References
- ^ Etherington J, Christenson J, Innes G; et al. (2000). "Is early discharge safe after naloxone reversal of presumed opioid overdose?" ([dead link]). CJEM. 2 (3): 156–62. PMID 17621393.
{{cite journal}}: Explicit use of et al. in:|author=(help); Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "BestBets: Concomitant use of benzodiazepines in opiate overdose and the association with a poorer outcome".
- ^ "BestBets: Concomitant use of alcohol in opiate overdose and the association with a poorer outcome".
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