Opioid overdose

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]Vidit Bhargava, M.B.B.S [2]

Opioid overdose
Classification and external resources
ICD-10 F11.0, T40.0-T40.2
ICD-9 305.5, 965.0

Overview

An opioid overdose is an acute condition due to excessive use of narcotics. It should not be confused with opioid dependency. Prescription opioid overdose was responsible for more deaths in the United States from 1999-2008 than heroin or cocaine overdose combined.[1]

Commonly Abused Opioids

Although any opioid can by abused for recreational purposes, some of the most common ones are as follows:

Signs & Symptoms

Opiate overdose symptoms and signs include: decreased level of consciousness and pinpoint pupils.[2] Heart rate and breathing slow down, sometimes to a stop. Blue lips and nails are caused by insufficient oxygen in the blood. Other symptoms include seizures and muscle spasms. A person experiencing an opiate overdose usually will not wake up even if their name is called or if they are shaken vigorously. The following list summarizes the most commonly experienced symptoms with opioid overdose.[3]

  • Airways and lungs
  • No breathing
  • Shallow breathing
  • Slow and difficult breathing
  • Eyes, ears, nose, and throat
  • Dry mouth
  • Extremely small pupils, sometimes as small as the head of a pin ("pinpoint pupils")
  • Tongue discoloration
  • Heart and blood
  • Low blood pressure
  • Weak pulse
  • Skin
  • Bluish-colored nails and lips (cyanosis)
  • Stomach and intestines
  • Constipation
  • Spasms of the stomach and intestinal tract
  • Nervous system

Risk Factors For Abuse

Several factors are thought to increase the risk of opioid overdose in a patient abusing these agents. These are described below:
Resuming the behavior after a period of abstinence: The abstinence could be due to voluntary efforts to stop the abuse, medically induced withdrawal or imprisonment resulting in forced abstinence.

Inconsistency with the quality of the drugs: Most commonly these are sold on streets, the quality being unpredictable & inconsistent. A higher purity sample may cause overdose at doses to which the person was used to before.

Mixing different type of drugs: Mixing drugs that have a brain and respiratory function depressing action similar to opioids, may lead to an overdose even at smaller doses. This may include drugs such as sedative-hypnotic (diazepam, clonazepam, lorazepam etc), H1 antihistaminics such as chlorpheniramine or promethazine or even alcohol. Different drugs will potentiate the effect of opioids differently.

Physical illness or recent infections: During states of metabolic stress, especially when a person is severely ill or dehydrated, even smaller doses may cause overdose.

Mental health: A person suffering from mental illnesses such as depression, schizophrenia or bipolar disorder may use opioid overdose as a means of committing suicide.

Past overdose events: Recent research has shown that people who have overdosed in the past are at much greater risk of future overdose.

Prevention

Although opioid overdose accounts for the leading cause of accidental death, it can be prevented and often in primary care settings.[4][5] Providers should routinely screen patients using tools such as the CADE-AID and the Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST-10) to screen adults and the CRAFT to screen adolescents aged 14–18 years.[4] Other “drug seeking” behaviors as well as physical indications of drug use should be used as clues to perform formal screenings.[4] Individuals diagnosed with opioid dependence should be prescribed naloxone to prevent overdose and/or should be directed to one of the many intervention/treatment options available, such as needle exchange programs and treatment centers.[4][5] Brief motivational interviewing can also be performed by the clinician during patient visits and has been shown to improve patient motivation to change their behavior.[4][6] Despite these opportunities, the dissemination of prevention interventions in the US has been hampered by the lack of coordination and sluggish federal government response.[5]

Treatment

Naloxone is very effective at reversing the cause, rather than just the symptoms, of an opioid overdose.[7] A longer-acting variant is naltrexone. Naltrexone is primarily meant to treat opioid and alcohol dependence. Diprenorphine (Revivon) is similar in action to naloxone, only it is significantly stronger and is reserved for acting as an antagonist to the strongest, non-human opioids, such as carfentanyl (in fact, carfentanyl, and other opioids for usage on large animals such as elephants, often come packaged with Revivon to be used after carfentanyl is no longer needed in the animal).

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that US programs for drug users and their caregivers prescribing take-home doses of naloxone and training on its utilization are estimated to have reversed 10,000 opioid overdose deaths.[8][9] Healthcare institution-based naloxone prescription programs have also helped reduce rates of opioid overdose in the US state of North Carolina, and have been replicated in the US military.[10][11] Nevertheless, scale-up of healthcare-based opioid overdose interventions is limited by providers’ insufficient knowledge and negative attitudes towards prescribing take-home naloxone to prevent opioid overdose.[12] Programs training police and fire personnel in opioid overdose response using naloxone have also shown promise in the US.[13][14]

Co-ingestion

Opioid overdoses associated with a conjunction of benzodiazepines or alcohol use leads to a contraindicated condition wherein higher instances of general negative overdose traits native to the overdose profile of opioid use alone but to a much greater extent.[15][16] 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. This includes drugs less immediately classed to a slowing of the metabolism such as with GABAergics like GHB or glutamatergic antagonists like PCP or Ketamine.

Famous People Death From Overdose

Philip Seymour Hoffman (2014), Anna Nicole Smith (2007), Anna Nicole Smith (1999), River Phoenix (1993), Heath Ledger (2008), Janis Joplin (1970), Corey Haim (2010), Whitney Houston (2012), John Belushi (1982), Chris Farley (1997), Elvis Presley (1977), Judy Garland (1969), Hillel Slovak (1988), Jimi Hendrix (1969), Paula Yates (2000), Billie Holiday (1959), Jim Morrison (1971), Lenny Bruce (1966), Peter Farndon (1983), Kurt Cobain (1994), Dee Dee Ramone (2002), Sid Vicious (1979), Corey Monteith (2013), Chris Kelly (2013), Michael Carl Baze (2011), Derek Boogaard (2011), Erica Blasberg (2010), Andy Irons (2010), Edward Fatu “Umaga” (2009), Billy Mays (2009), Christopher Bowman (2008), Scott Charles (“Bam Bam”) Bigelow (2007), Chris Mainwaring (2007), Ike Turner (2008), Anthony Durante (2003), Howie Epstein (2003), Elisa Bridges (2002), John Entwistle (2002), Darrell Porter (2002), Peter Jackson (1997), David Waymer (1993), Paul Hayward (1992), Chet Baker (1988), David Croudip (1988), Len Bias (1986), Don Rogers (1986), David Kennedy (1984)

Street Names

Heroin

H, Tar, Chiba or Chiva, Junk, Brown Sugar Junk, Skag, Smac, Mud, Dragon, Dope White, China White, White Nurse, White Lady, White Horse, White Girl, White Boy, White Stuff, Boy, He, Black, Black Tar, Black Pearl, Black Stuff, Black Eagle, Brown, Brown Crystal, Brown Tape, Brown Rhine Mexican Brown, Mexican Mud, Mexican Horse, Snow, Snowball Scat, Sack, Skunk Number 3, Number 4, Number 8, Bart Simpson, Aunt Hazel, birdie powder, Dr. Feelgood, dog food, hong-yen, lemonade, Mexican mud, old Steve, pangonadalot, witch hazel

Type of drug combinationStreet name
Heroin and Marijuana Atom Bomb, Canade, Woola, Woolie, Woo-Woo
Heroin and Cold Medicine Cheese
Heroin and Ecstacy Chocolate Chip Cookies, H Bomb
Heroin and AlprazolamBars
Heroin and LSDBeast, LBJ
Heroin and CocaineBelushi, Boy-Girl, He-She, Dynamite, Goofball, H&C, Primo, Snowball, speedball
Heroin and CrackChocolate Rock, Dragon Rock, Moonrock
Heroin and Ritalin Pineapple

Slang Terms for Heroin Use and Abuse

Chasing the Dragon, Daytime (being high), Evening (coming off the high), Dip and Dab, Do Up, Firing the Ack Ack Gun, Give Wings, Jolly Pop, Paper Boy, Channel Swimmer

Codeine

Lotpurple, Lean, Syrup, Slow, Drank, Endo for Endotussin, Tikoy for Trecodin, Deka for Deka Syrup, Decaprin for Mercodol Decaprin, C-plain for Corex Plain, Ac for Robitussin AC, Tuss or tussio for Tussionex, Captain Cody, Cody

Oxycodone/Oxycontin

Kicker, OC, Oxy, OX, Blue, Oxycotton, Hillbilly Heroin, Poor man’s heroin

References

  1. ↑ Debono, DJ; Hoeksema, LJ; Hobbs, RD (August 2013). "Caring for Patients with Chronic Pain: Pearls and Pitfalls". Journal of the American Osteopathic Association. 113 (8): 620–627. doi:10.7556/jaoa.2013.023. PMID 23918913.
  2. ↑ Chandler, Stephanie. "Symptoms of an opiate overdose". Live Strong. Retrieved 17 May 2012.
  3. ↑ "Heroin overdose: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia". Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Bowman S, Eiserman J, Beletsky L, Stancliff S, Bruce RD. (2013). "Reducing the health consequences of opioid addiction in primary care". Am J Med. 126 (7): 565–71. doi:10.1016/j.amjmed.2012.11.031. PMID 23664112.In press
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Beletsky L, Rich JD, Walley AY. (2012). "Prevention of Fatal Opioid Overdose". JAMA. 308 (18): 1863–1864. doi:10.1001/jama.2012.14205. PMC 3551246. PMID 23150005.
  6. ↑ Zahradnik A, Otto C, Crackau B; et al. (2009). "Randomized controlled trial of a brief intervention for problematic prescription drug use in non-treatment-seeking patients". 104 (1): 109–117. doi:10.1111/j.1360-0443.2008.02421.x. PMID 19133895.
  7. ↑ Etherington, J; Christenson, J; Innes, G; Grafstein, E; Pennington, S; Spinelli, JJ; Gao, M; Lahiffe, B; Wanger, K (2000). "Is early discharge safe after naloxone reversal of presumed opioid overdose?". CJEM. 2 (3): 156–62. PMID 17621393.
  8. ↑ "OD Prevention Program Locator". Overdose Prevention Alliance. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
  9. ↑ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2012). "Community-Based Opioid Overdose Prevention Programs Providing Naloxone — United States, 2010". Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 61 (6): 101–5. PMID 22337174.
  10. ↑ Albert, Su; Brason Ii, Fred W.; Sanford, Catherine K.; Dasgupta, Nabarun; Graham, Jim; Lovette, Beth (2011). "Project Lazarus: Community-Based Overdose Prevention in Rural North Carolina". Pain Medicine. 12: S77–85. doi:10.1111/j.1526-4637.2011.01128.x. PMID 21668761.
  11. ↑ Beletsky, Leo; Burris, Scott C.; Kral, Alex H. (July 21, 2009). "Closing Death's Door: Action Steps to Facilitate Emergency Opioid Drug Overdose Reversal in the United States". SSRN Electronic Journal. doi:10.2139/ssrn.1437163. SSRN 1437163.
  12. ↑ Beletsky, Leo; Ruthazer, Robin; MacAlino, Grace E.; Rich, Josiah D.; Tan, Litjen; Burris, Scott (2006). "Physicians' Knowledge of and Willingness to Prescribe Naloxone to Reverse Accidental Opiate Overdose: Challenges and Opportunities". Journal of Urban Health. 84 (1): 126–36. doi:10.1007/s11524-006-9120-z. PMC 2078257. PMID 17146712.
  13. ↑ Beletsky L, Moroz E. "The Quincy Police Department: Pioneering Naloxone Among First Responders". Overdose Prevention Alliance. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
  14. ↑ Lavoie D. (April 2012). "Naloxone: Drug-Overdose Antidote Is Put In Addicts' Hands". Huffington Post.
  15. ↑ "BestBets: Concomitant use of benzodiazepines in opiate overdose and the association with a poorer outcome".
  16. ↑ "BestBets: Concomitant use of alcohol in opiate overdose and the association with a poorer outcome".
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