Stop Opioid Overdoses

The misuse of prescription medication and opioid-based drugs has increased significantly over the years to become a public health concern in Georgia. According to the Georgia Department of Public Health, opioid-involved overdose deaths have been rapidly increasing in Georgia since 2010, driven largely by increased use and misuse of prescription opioids (e.g., Oxycodone and Hydrocodone). Beginning in 2013, illicit opioids such as heroin and fentanyl drove the sharp increase in opioid-involved overdose deaths.

What are Opioids?

Opioids are a class of drugs that include the illegal drug heroin, synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, and pain relievers available legally by prescription, such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine, morphine and many others. Many produce a sense of euphoria and result in addiction.

Opioid drugs also pose the danger of accidental overdose, which can stop breathing. By definition, overdose is ingesting more than the recommended amount of a substance. Drug overdose often implies the toxic and overwhelming effect of drugs taken in amounts greater than the body has a capacity to handle.

Common Risk Factors for Opioid Overdose

While an opioid-related overdose can happen to anyone, there are common risk factors that have been identified:

Mixing opioids with other drugs (particulaly alcohol or other sedatives).
Resuming opioid use after a period of non-use.
Elderly individuals that may forget they already took their medication and accidently take it again.
Younger individuals exposed to social envirionments where there is drug use.

Signs of Opioid Overdose

Opioid drugs also pose the danger of accidental overdose, which can stop breathing. By definition, overdose is ingesting more than the recommended amount of a substance. Drug overdose often implies the toxic and overwhelming effect of drugs taken in amounts greater than the body has a capacity to handle. Death and permanent organ damage can occur. It is important to recognize the signs of opioid overdose:

The primary sign of opioid overdose is unresponsiveness.

Other signs include:

Pale face and/or clammy to the touch
Body is limp
Slow/stopped breathing
Slow/stopped heartbeat
Vomiting or gurgling noises
Inability to be awakened
Inability to speak
Blue or purple color to fingernails or lips

Responding to an Opioid Overdose

If you witness or suspect an opioid overdose, it is important to respond quickly:

Call 911 immediately and report a suspected drug overdose.
Try to rouse the victim – speak loudly, pinch their skin or rub knuckles up and down the sternum.
Support the person’s breathing. If breathing resumes, lay victim on their side.
Administer naloxone (Narcan) if you have it and know how to use it.
Stay with overdosed person until medical help arrives.

Naloxone (Narcan)

Naloxone blocks or reverses the effects of opioid medication, including extreme drowsiness, slowed breathing or loss of consciousness. Naloxone is used to treat a narcotic overdose in an emergency situation. Naloxone is a short-term measure for an overdose – it is essential to notify medical professionals as quickly as possible. It should be used until the patient can receive emergency medical care for an overdose.

There are two ways to access a naloxone rescue kit from a pharmacy in Georgia:

Obtain a prescription from your prescriber and take it to a pharmacy that stocks naloxone
Go directly to a pharmacy and request a naloxone kit. A standing order for naloxone was issued to all pharmacies in Georgia on Dec. 14, 2016; a prescription for naloxone is not needed.

Request Naloxone Kit

Georgia Overdose Prevention is offering Naloxone kits by request to high risk individuals while supplies last (high risk: actively using street or RX opioids and any other street drug, in recovery from opioids or any street drug, a sex worker, have a lowered tolerance to opioids from a period of not using drugs, on MAT, or a loved one of a person at risk). If you do not match any of our high risk descriptions, you can still purchase naloxone at Georgia pharmacies without a personal prescription. Those that qualify can request a Naloxone kit using the online request form.

Georgia’s Amnesty Law

Although most overdoses occur in the presence of others, fear of arrest and prosecution prevent many people from calling 911. Georgia’s Medical Amnesty Law protects victims and callers seeking medical assistance at drug or alcohol overdose scenes:

Limited liability for possession of small amounts of drugs and/or alcohol- this applies to the victim as well as the caller.
Limited liability for breaches of parole, restraining order, probation and other violations.
Naloxone immunity for prescribers, pharmacists and first responders .

Xylazine

In November of 2022, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a nationwide alert to stakeholders warning them about the risk of xylazine exposure. Xylazine, a non-opioid tranquilizer used in veterinary medicine and not approved for use in humans, has been increasingly detected in the illicit drug supply and in drug overdoses around the nation. Many states have seen a dramatic increase in drug overdose deaths involving xylazine, and Georgia is experiencing the same trends. From 2020 to 2022, the percentage of all reported drug overdose deaths involving xylazine increased from 0.8% (15/1888 deaths) to 9% (183/2115 deaths), and 100% of all reported suspected xylazine-involved deaths in 2022 also involved fentanyl.

Persons who use drugs, clinicians, and the general public should be aware of the risks associated with xylazine use. A xylazine overdose may mimic the symptoms of an opioid overdose, but since xylazine is not an opioid, naloxone is not known to be effective in reversing xylazine overdoses. Repeated injection of xylazine is also associated with severe, necrotic skin ulcerations. Persons who use drugs may not be aware of the presence of xylazine in their drug supply, so it is critical for them to understand these risks and remain vigilant.