Opioid Overdose Prevention

Below are some highlights from the event.

The speakers defined drug abuse as (1) taking more or taking less than what is prescribed, (2) taking someone else’s medication or sharing your medications, or (3) mixing medication(s) with other drugs or alcohol. Often when doctors prescribe medications for someone, they consider factors such as gender, age, weight, height, allergies, preexisting conditions, overall medical history, and any other medications a patient is taking. Prescriptions, which need to be written by either a doctor, a physician’s assistant or a nurse practitioner overseen by a doctor, must be filled by a licensed pharmacist. These medications may include stimulants, which excite bodily function; sedatives, which can slow brain function; and opioids, which are used to reduce moderate to severe pain.

Opioids can be considered Illicit medications with the same side effects as the prescribed medication that are synthetically made in non-approved labs or on the street. These medications affect the body by attaching to opioid receptors in the brain that block pain messages sent from the body through the spinal cord to the brain. This is especially harmful to youth since the brain is not fully developed until about the age of 25. So, the sooner someone starts to use drugs, such as opioids, the more potential it has to impair and damage brain functioning. Some common signs of opioid overdose include

• Pinpoint pupils
• Lack of consciousness and possibly unresponsive
• Slow or erratic pulse
• Bluish/purple or grayish/ashen skin and nail tones (depending on the complexion)
• Choking
• Vomiting

Fentanyl, a deadly synthetic opioid, is clinically used to rapidly treat pain or control breakthrough pain and often used with anesthesia. While fentanyl has a short duration for how long it works, it is still 80 to 100 times stronger than morphine. Fentanyl is so potent, that a dose the size of 3 salt grains can cause an overdose or death. Currently, drug dealers are mixing fentanyl into pills that resemble prescription medication and selling it on the street. Fentanyl poses a silent killer because you cannot see, smell, or taste it. In fact, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) found that 4 out of every 10 pills with fentanyl contain a potentially lethal dose.

Knowing this information, what can parents, friends, and other family members do to protect their loved ones?

• Always check warning labels on the sides of any medications before taking it
• If you have questions or concerns about the medication, ask the pharmacist
• Use resources from the DEA, such as the “One Pill Can Kill” Campaign focused on fentanyl poisoning