Overdose Aid

When people talk about overdose they often mean drugs like heroin. But it's also possible to overdose on stimulants like cocaine, and on alcohol. For more information about stimulant overdose, have a look at www.bolton.knowcocaine.co.uk and www.drinkingwithcharlie.co.uk.

This page gives information on how to reduce the chances of a heroin overdose and what to do if one happens.

Heroin Overdose

• Overdose is the main cause of death amongst injectors
• The average age of people dying through overdose is 30
• About a third of injecting heroin users have overdosed – some of them many times – and over half have seen someone else overdosing. More than three quarters of heroin users know someone who has died through overdose
• Many of these overdose deaths could have been prevented

Who is most at risk?

• People who inject heroin
• People who have had a break from injecting – tolerance to heroin and other opiates drops very quickly
• People who have left a detox or rehab programme – low tolerance
• People who have just left prison – low tolerance
• People who mix heroin and other opiates with other depressants including benzos and alcohol - this increases the depressant effect

Signs of an overdose
A lot of people do not realise that there is often a long time – up to three hours – between injecting heroin and an overdose death. So, someone riding through the initial “hit” doesn’t mean the risk is reduced.

The signs of overdose are:

• Snoring deeply – often and understandably mistaken for deep sleep. 
• Not able to wake up – ask the person questions very loudly while pinching their ear or rub your knuckles on the centre of their rib cage – if they don’t react they are unconscious.
• Turning blue – noticeable around the lips.
• Not breathing – you only need to check for between 10 and 15 seconds.

What to do if you think someone has overdosed:

• Check to see if they are conscious – if they don’t react when you rub your knuckles on the centre of their rib cage, they are unconscious
• Check and, if needed, clear their airways (mouth and nose)
• Put them in the recovery position. Click here for more information.
• Call an ambulance – tell the operator what has happened, what you think the person has taken and where you are. You do not have to give your name
• Do not be worried about the police turning up to make arrests – they will only be called out with the ambulance if a child is involved, if there is a death at the site or if the ambulance staff think they will be in danger
• Stay with the person at least until the ambulance arrives

• DO NOT remove the works if the person has overdosed whilst having a “hit”. You may cause some damage accidentally and, if the person recovers, they could sue you.
• DO NOT pick them up and walk them round – this can increase their heart rate and make what drugs are in the system work quicker.
• DO NOT slap, hit or hurt them to try and bring them round.
• DO NOT put them in a cold bath or shower – it takes quite a time to run a bath and there could be problems with hypothermia (getting too cold).
• DO NOT inject them with salt water – this does NOT act like a drip on Casualty!

Reducing the risk of overdosing

• Don't mix drugs, even within a few hours of each other – and particularly not heroin (or other opiates) with other depressants like benzos (e.g. Valium), and alcohol. A combination of these can slow things down so much that a person can just stop breathing.
• Be aware that having a break from drugs – either by choice or not – lowers a person’s tolerance. If a person starts using their 'normal' dose again after having a break, they are putting themselves at a huge risk of overdosing.