Overdose emergency and Naloxone information
Someone can experience an overdose at any point up to three hours after they inject, which means there could be time to save a life. Overdose may also affect people who smoke, inhale or ingest drugs, so it is important to recognise the signs of an overdose.
Steps to be taken:
- Call 999 and ask for an ambulance
- Check to see if anything is blocking the person’s airways (mouth, nose)
- Put the person in the recovery position: you can watch a video demonstrating how to put someone in the recovery position.
- If you have Prenoxad (naloxone injection), inject it into their thigh or upper arm muscle
- If you have Nyxoid (naloxone nasal spray), place the spray in their nose and press the plunger.
- Wait with the person until the ambulance arrives
If you witness an overdose, it is important that you call an ambulance. Don’t be scared that you could get into trouble, the ambulance will not bring the police with them except in very particular cases.
Naloxone
Naloxone is a medicine that can temporarily reverse the effect of an opioid overdose and comes in pre-filled syringes or nasal spray which you or someone caring for you can access from Newham Rise and participating Newham pharmacies. They can provide training on how to use the syringe or nasal spray.
Naloxone is free to get, and you can replace a kit that has already been used or expired.
You can find more information about overdose and naloxone on CGL’s website here
