Most of us have probably had the unfortunate experience - at least once - of watching someone overdose, going blue and seemingly dying right before your very eyes, and we've all seen people waste valuable time arguing about what is the best method to bring them round. Shoot them up with salty water? Slap them hard around the chops? Walk them round and round in circles? Shoot 'em up with cocaine or some other upper? But what if it's a crack O.D? In Overdose Myths Part 1 we will cover some of the things you DON'T do to bring your mates around. Part 2 in an upcoming issue, will deal with what you ought to do in an O.D situation. REMEMBER An ambulance has no legal obligation to call the police to an O.D situation. Each Health Authority will handle things a little differently but the fact stands - THE POLICE ARE NOT LEGALLY BOUND TO FOLLOW AN AMBULANCE TO A DRUGS OVERDOSE.
MYTH 1
If someone O.D's, then it's best just to lie them down somewhere quiet to sleep it off.
WRONG!! Leaving someone on their own could result in their death. It only takes a few minutes for someone to stop breathing and die. Even if the person is breathing, they need someone to make sure that they stay that breathing. They could also roll onto their back and choke on their own vomit, (remember Jimmy Hendrix?). Someone must make sure that the person lies on their side (in the recovery position) which helps keep their airways open - until help arrives. If someone drops, and are not breathing and/or don't show signs of a pulse, don't fuck about - call an ambulance.
MYTH 2
Hitting someone up with water or salty water will bring them around if they have overdosed.
WRONG!! Injecting a person with water will have no effect at all if they have overdosed. Water is not the antidote to heroin or other drugs and it will not reduce or 'water down' the effect or the amount of the drug they have taken. Injecting large amounts of water can cause veins to collapse, causing swelling in the brain by having extremely high levels of fluid in the blood and can also overload the kidneys. All this will achieve is to waste precious time....
MYTH 3
If someone goes spark out on the gear, then you should put them straight in the bath or shower.
WRONG!! Water is one of the quickest ways to raise or lower a person's body temperature. If you put someone who has overdosed in a shower or bath, you could send them into shock by changing their body temperature too quickly. They could also drown if their lungs get filled up with water. All through this, very valuable time is being wasted....
MYTH 4
If someone has overdosed and are not responding, walking them around will bring them back.
WRONG!! If someone hasn't responded to your attempts to bring them around, they may well be unconscious. Forcing them to walk around if they are not breathing will only waste the short amount of time you have to get help and get them breathing again. If they are unconscious, moving them around a lot could also cause serious internal injuries.
MYTH 5
If you have O.D'd and have then been given a shot of Naloxone or Narcan by the paramedics to bring you around, you may well be pissed off that they've 'straightened you out'. However, it is safe to have another shot straight afterwards anyway.
WRONG!! The drug you may have seen or had administered by the paramedics if you've O.D on opiates is probably been Narcan or Naloxone (see pg8) the wonder wakener for O.Ds. But the effects of both these are only temporary and it can wear off pretty fast so having another shot could send you spark out again. In fact, even if you don't have another shot after your hit of Narcan, you could still OD again later, particularly if you have got a long acting drug like methadone in your system. For this reason, you need someone to keep an eye on you for about 8 hours after you have been given Narcan. It is important to remember that Narcan only works on opiods (heroin, methadone, etc) but it does not work on pills, alcohol, speed, coke etc. So, if you have taken a cocktail of drugs, and are then given Narcan to come around, you will still be out of it on all the other stuff and will need someone to keep an eye on you.
MYTH 6
Most overdoses occur because the purity of the gear suddenly changes.
WRONG!! The majority of overdoses in the community happen because people mix their drugs. For example, taking drugs such as heroin, alcohol, benzos and methadone at the same time. Changes in the purity of heroin alone, is rarely the cause of overdoses
MYTH 7
If someone passes out/overdoses and then has an epileptic type seizure you should put the end of a spoon on their tongue so they don't bite or swallow it.
WRONG!! If someone has a drug induced seizure ie; they pass out and start having convulsions, usually lasting 1 - 3 minutes, it can be a scary experience for people that haven't witnessed it before. Don't panic though and stuff a wooden spoon down their throat. Drug induced convulsions are a fairly common type of OD experience, especially if one has a habit on benzos, misses a few days tablets and then ends up having a seizure. Methadone in some forms has also been known to cause seizures/comas/brain damage in some overdoses. If someone has a seizure, turn them on their side (the recovery position) loosen the clothing around their neck and chest, and hold them gently but firmly so they don't injure themselves on other objects when convulsing. After the fit has stopped, make sure their airways are clear from vomit/blood etc (run your finger gently through their mouth - remember there may be blood from a bitten tongue) and that they are breathing OK. Meanwhile, it is always safer to have an ambulance called and on their way to check everything's ok.
MYTH 8
Suicide is the most common reason why people overdose.
WRONG!! Research on this issue shows that the majority of drug overdoses happen by accident
MYTH 9
It is the contaminants in dope that causes the overdoses ie; hot shots, strychnine, etc)
WRONG!! Research on this issue shows that contaminants are rarely, if ever, found in samples of street drugs such as heroin, speed, coke etc.
SOME EXTRA DON'TS TO REMEMBER
• Don't leave someone who has O'd in the street hoping someone will find them. People have ended up dying from exposure to the cold rather than to the drugs.
• Don't try to make someone who is unconscious vomit.
• Don't try to do heart massage if you can still feel someone's pulse.
• Don't try to make someone who has O.D'd drink a cup of coffee or tea to bring them around because you may make them vomit and suffocate.
Believe it or not, we heard a story the other day (from a first - hand source), that someone had actually stabbed a person in the chest, aiming for the heart, with an air filled syringe, in order to try and bring them around. They fucked around with this poor guy for so long that he had died by the time help finally arrived. Needless to say (or is it?) that you DON'T hit someone up with a works full of air. (Don't do first aid Pulp Fiction style either. They used adrenaline not air, but still don't do it).
Remember to look after each other - and NEVER mix or use your drugs alone. A companion could save your life
Mostly reprinted from the Australian NUAA UsersVoice magazine but we have added a few English touches and some extra bits of our own knowledge and information. Thanks NUAA. Thanks also to RELEASE for their legal knowledge and help