What are some signs of an opioid overdose?
Not talking or responding
Blue/pale skin, lips, and/or fingertips
Not breathing/ not breathing effectively
What are some ways we can reduce risks for overdose when using?
Assess the strength (do a small amount to gauge the effects)
Use fentanyl test strips and/or Xylazine test strips
Carry Narcan even if you don't use opioids
Avoid using alone (even if it's not opioids you're using)
Don't lock door/keep it ajar so someone can find you easier
Buy from the same person
Use a route of administration which carries a lower risk (from higher to lower risk: Injection, smoke, snort, oral ingestion)
Take extra precaution when using after periods of abstinence or reduced use
Avoid mixing substances
True or False- if you come across someone who is unconscious and not breathing, you shouldn't administer Narcan unless you know it's due to an opioid overdose.
False- It's better to do something than nothing at all. If they aren't having an opioid overdose the Narcan won't harm them.
What is the best position for someone to be in when you are administering Narcan and rescue breathing?
laying down
You are at a small party, and you come across someone passed out on the bathroom floor. What should you do first?
A) administer Narcan
B) call 911
C) Try to wake them up
D) Rescue breathing
C) Try to wake them up
If someone OD's and you don't have any Narcan, what else can you do help them?

Perform rescue breathing
Call for EMS
Put them in the recovery position if you have to leave them to call 911 or to go get Narcan (rescue breaths first!)
Stay with them and continue to provide rescue breathing til EMS arrives
Fill in the blank:
An opioid overdose happens when opioids slow down the part of your brain that regulates ___________.
breathing
How long do we wait between doses of Narcan?
2-3 minutes
Why is it important for someone to stay with a person who just received Narcan, even if they seem okay?
They could go back into overdose once the Narcan wears off.
What are some of the complications of Xylazine (aka Tranq or benzo-dope) being added to the fentanyl supply?
Increase risk for OD
People can be unconscious for hours
Risks for wounds (even if not injecting)
Physical dependence (withdrawal)
True or False-
You can administer Narcan to someone who is pregnant just as you would if they weren't pregnant.
True
Fill in the blank:
When performing rescue breathing, give 1 breath every ___________.
A) 5 seconds
B) 10 seconds
C) 1 minute
D) With every dose of Narcan
A) 5 seconds
How long do the effects of Narcan last?
Approximately 30-90 minutes
True or False: you can overdose by touching fentanyl so you have to be really careful when responding to an overdose since they may have some fentanyl on their skin.
False.
You can stop administering Narcan and rescue breathing when _________:
A) The person wakes up
B) The person starts breathing effectively
C) When you call 911
D) When you run out of Narcan
Both A & B are correct.
But even if they aren't awake, if they are breathing well on their own they do not need any more Narcan. Monitor them until EMS arrives.
What is Steve's Law and how does it help if someone overdoses?
The person calling 911 to report a drug overdose is protected from prosecution for using or possessing drugs related to the particular overdose they are calling 911 for or responding to by administering naloxone. It also protects the person overdosing.
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What are some risk factors for opioid overdose? What situations or risk factors can put people at higher risk for opioid OD?
Mixing drugs
Changes in the drug supply (quality and strength)
Tolerance (period of abstinence or reduced use)
Age and physical health
Route of administration
When providing rescue breathing, how can you tell if the breath is going in right?
Chest will rise when you give a breath.