In the world of urban myths, drugs hold court, with stories that range from their potency and effect to a number of various crimes that have been undertaken in their name or under their influence. Most of these myths are harmless, but the ones that pertain to crazy home remedies for opiate overdose are extremely dangerous. You may have heard them. Hey, you may have started them. I’m here to stop the madness.

1 – Somebody came up with the idea that if you inject someone who is overdosing on an opiate drug with a salt water solution, milk or an upper like meth amphetamine or cocaine that you will miraculously bring them back to health. No. No, no, no, no, no, NO.

NO.

Don’t inject anyone with anything if they are overdosing on any drug but especially if they are overdosing on an opioid-based prescription painkiller. It doesn’t work and, worse, it wastes time. In an overdose situation, time is of the essence. You need to call 911 immediately, do CPR if necessary and wait for the paramedics to arrive.

2 – Many are under the impression that to induce vomiting is to reverse the effects of a pain pill overdose. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. The pills are already digested if they’re overwhelming the respiratory system, so it may not help. It may also exacerbate the situation. Vomit is by nature, well, chunky. It can block the airway and choke someone who is barely or unconscious. Better to wait for the paramedics to arrive. They can decide how best to stop the action of the opiate: a shot of naloxone, stomach pump, charcoal and/or laxative.

3—Make them drink water. Or milk (what’s with the milk?). Again, no and for same reasons that you should avoid the first two myths: it won’t work, it wastes time and they could choke. Anytime someone calls 911, they always advise that you not eat or drink anything. If a surgical procedure is needed, so, too, is anesthesia. And if you vomit while under anesthesia…. Better to have an empty stomach.

Things like trying to help the person walk around or putting ice on their skin is only helpful if they are not overdosing. An overdose victim will most likely be unable to respond to stimuli of any kind, so if they are truly overdosing, dragging them around isn’t going to help anything and looking for ice only wastes time.

For more helpful information on how to handle overdose and other aspects of harm reduction, check out the Harm Reduction Coalition.

Codeine is a highly addictive opioid-based prescription medication. Taken every six to eight hours based upon your level of pain, it doesn’t take longer than a few weeks to build up a tolerance and require a larger dose to get the same initial pain relieving effects. However, even though you may not feel the effects of the codeine, it doesn’t mean that the drug isn’t in your system. Some may make the mistake of taking more than the prescribed dosage in order to self medicate their pain. Even taking the drug exactly as it is prescribes can result in an overdose. Unless you are vigilant, if you are taking codeine, you are at risk for a codeine overdose.

The first way to avoid a codeine overdose is to tell your doctor about all of the medications, vitamins and herbal supplements that you are taking. Side stepping dangerous drug interactions is essential. For example, some antidepressants can significantly intensify the effect of codeine and put you in an overdose situation without meaning to.

The next way to limit your chances of experiencing a codeine overdose is to simultaneously limit your intake of alcohol. Even one drink can make the soporific effect of codeine—or drowsiness—overwhelming. You may think you are perfectly okay to drive after a glass of wine with dinner and find out too late that you are not.

The third and most important way to avoid a codeine overdose is to detox off of codeine. That’s right. It’s not easy and it’s not fun, but it can be simple with Suboxone. No inpatient rehabs. No daily support group meetings. Just one appointment at Meditox with a clinical team to evaluate whether or not you will benefit from a Suboxone detox.

So it turns out that the initial speculation was correct: Heath Ledger did accidentally overdose on a variety of prescription drugs including oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam and doxylamine. This information was released by the New York medical examiner’s office, so it’s pretty much an accepted fact. I apologize to those who don’t want to believe that it’s true, but like I’ve said before, Heath’s death only proves that even with a ton of money, even when everything is legally prescribed and you have all the medical attention and treatment you could possibly want, overdose is still a real possibility.

In case the names of those drugs don’t sound familiar to you, they are the  generic names for OxyContin, Valium, Xanax, Restoril and Unisom. Sleep aids, painkillers and anti-anxiety drugs. Alone they cause enough addiction problems. Together, well….
 
Heath’s father released a statement after the medical examiner’s office released the cause of his son’s death, saying, among other things: “While no medications were taken in excess, we learned today the combination of doctor-prescribed drugs proved lethal for our boy. Heath’s accidental death serves as a caution [of] the hidden dangers of combining prescription medication, even at low dosage.”

If you are concerned that you or someone you love is using too many prescription painkillers or are becoming addicted to opioid-based medical treatment, then you may wish to consider a Suboxone detox or treatment. This allows you to stop taking your prescription and start to wean yourself off drugs entirely. It is purely an outpatient detox, so you will be able to continue to attend school or go to work and take care of your family obligations. For more information referencing outpatient treatment, check out our archives.