What is an overdose and its symptoms?

Overdose is the result of illicit substance abuse. It can happen both by taking too much at the same time and by having substances regularly, while also adding up to the dose. The extra dosage in the individual’s system harms the usual functioning of the body and the brain and leads to overdosing. These cases are prevented in a rehabilitation center for drug addicts where a professional narcologist provides a personalized treatment plan for the individuals.

The concept of overdosing and how a narcology clinic can help

A deadly dosage of the substance may pose a threat to life. However, it might also result in severe maladjustment on the physical and psychological levels.

Overdose can be expressed with various symptoms. Whatever the situation, a narcology clinic is equipped with extensive knowledge about overdose, its symptoms, and necessary treatment, helping people minimize potential harm requires knowledge and awareness of overdoses.

The body state during an overdose

The toxic contents in drugs and alcohol start to interfere with the chemical messages in the person’s brain. These substances can cause slowing down the messengers, similar to how depressants, alcohol, and opioids do. This happens especially when taking cocaine, methamphetamine, and prescription stimulants; it might expedite the messaging.

Furthermore, these drugs intensify the feelings the person can currently feel. For example, if they are sad, the substances may deepen the feeling and lead to depressive episodes. Another example is when the person is excited or is feeling joy, these drugs lead to overexcitement and manic behavior. They can also heighten anxiety, instability, and so on.

Various medications have the potential to reduce the body's functionality and even cause the heartbeat or breathing to stop. These substances cause cardiac issues and create risky symptoms relating to the mental health of the individual.

What substances cause an overdose

Several substances can lead to overdose, here are some of them:

• Prescribed medicine: This can happen due to using more doses than recommended or mixing them with several other medications. The reason why this is a common case is that many people misunderstand the dosages and are unaware of the consequences of mixing various drugs.

This case additionally stretches out to the blend of illegal substances with endorsed medication. It brings about risky interactions and is harmful to the body.

• Alcohol: This is another type of substance abuse, known as alcoholism. The consumption of a lot of alcohol can prompt a risky degree of focal sensory system depression, which can bring about unconsciousness and even death.

• Illegal substances: These are the most common ones leading to overdose. They come in various types, each of which requires a dosage uplift over time since the body gets used to its dosages and requires more to be in the ecstatic state. When adding to the dosage, the individual triggers overdosing, since the body cannot handle that much substance.

Many cases are causing overdose and it is important to know how to separate overdosing from simple symptoms of illnesses and so on. So, here are some overdose symptoms that can help, when noticing someone going through an overdose.

The symptoms of an overdose

When experiencing an overdose, the individual can be non-responsive when talked to. Their physical appearance appears to look more ill, as expressed by a bluish or greyish shade of lips and fingernails. It should be noted that the shade depends on their skin color.  Usually, lighter skin gets a more bluish shade, while more darker skin appears to be expressed by a greyish shade.

The overdose is also expressed in the eyes when normal pupils start to appear smaller. Their face starts looking pale and clammy, and they start having difficulties when trying to breathe. This can also lead to them making choking noises, even when they are unconscious. Aside from these, their breathing also appears to be slower, shallow, and even irregular. In some cases, their breathing also can become non-existent.

What to do when facing someone experiencing an overdose?

It is important to stay calm since you cannot help someone while being in a panic state. Then you have to call an ambulance and explain the situation, provide your location.

Then it is important to understand and check the person’s state and responsiveness. To do so, you can call their name, or slightly shake their shoulder. If there is no response, check their pulse and breathing.

In case they are non-responsive and have slow pule, it is important to give them CPR  as fast as you can. To do CPR, you have to put their back flat on the surface (be it the floor, bed, or table, wherever they are), and then adjust their head back, provide chest rubs, and rescue breaths.

During an overdose, the person can experience vomiting. If they are still unconscious, it is important to position them on their side, since if positioned on their back, they can throw up and choke on it, leading to their immediate death.

If you are not sure you can hold the whole situation under control, you can stay on the phone with the professionals so they can communicate with you and lead you with the right steps, while the professional help arrives.

Conclusion

An overdose is a fatal accident that has its side effects even after experiencing it. There are both physical and mental side effects this causes. After experiencing an overdose, it is important to seek professional help and receive personalized addiction treatment.

During rehab, the individual gets two types of treatments, firstly, the professional narcologist cleans their organism with a detoxification. Then set a personalized treatment to help the person recover fast with minimum to zero side effects and withdrawal.

The treatment process also includes therapy sessions to help them come back from the dark side of their mind. Since the whole addiction stands on the tip of problems that lead the individual to use substances. At the end of the day, everyone suffering from addiction can bring back their healthy life, slowly but surely.