Non-fatal overdose is an occupational risk of heroin misuse' and fatal overdose is a common cause of premature death in heroin users. ... One of the major contributors to a fatal outcome is the inadequacy of heroin users' responses to the overdoses of their peers. They may delay calling an ambulance for fear of the police arriving, and their efforts to revive comatose users are often ineffectiv...

The case is reported of a patient who had taken a deliberate overdose of sustained release bupropion. The patient suffered from prolonged symptoms including seizures before fully recovering. The prescription of bupropion is encouraged as an aid to smoking cessation and it is probable that bupropion overdose will become more common. Emergency departments need to be aware that patients taking an ...

BACKGROUND Adrenaline is the standard treatment for anaphylaxis but appropriate administration remains challenging, and iatrogenic overdose is easily overlooked. Despite the established importance of pediatric blood pressure measurement, its use remains inconsistent in clinical practice. CASE PRESENTATION We report a case of adrenaline overdose in a 9-year-old white boy with anaphylaxis, wher...

Tricyclic antidepressant (TCA) overdose necessitating intensive care unit (ICU) admission remains a significant problem in the Western Cape. In this retrospective study, we reviewed the course of life-threatening TCA overdose in our centre to identify potential prognostic indicators. TCA levels >1000 ng/ml were associated with QT and QRS prolongation and convulsions. However, no single paramete...

BACKGROUND In New York City (NYC), the annual mortality rate is higher for accidental drug overdoses than for homicides; cocaine and opiates are the drugs most frequently associated with drug overdose deaths. We assessed trends and correlates of cocaine- and opiate-related overdose deaths in NYC during 1990-2000. METHODS Data were collected from the NYC Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (O...

OBJECTIVES We compared three methods for identifying drug overdose cases in inpatient hospital discharge data on their ability to classify drug overdoses by intent and drug type(s) involved. METHODS We compared three International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification code-based case definitions using Kentucky hospital discharge data for 2000-2011. The first defini...

Rhode Island is experiencing an epidemic of overdose deaths.1,2,4 Overdose deaths have occurred from illicit drugs, prescription medications, and combinations of both.2,3 Since 2011, overdose deaths have increased by almost one third. 3 At least 329 people died of drug overdoses in 2016, up 13 percent from 2015. 3 This public health crisis has affected the lives of men, women, and children, fro...

BACKGROUND Overdose prevention programs (OPPs) train people who inject drugs and other community members to prevent, recognise and respond to opioid overdose. However, little is known about the experience of taking up the role of an "overdose responder" for the participants. METHODS We present findings from qualitative interviews with 30 participants from two OPPs in Los Angeles, CA, USA from...

BACKGROUND Former inmates are at high risk for death from drug overdose, especially in the immediate post-release period. The purpose of the study is to understand the drug use experiences, perceptions of overdose risk, and experiences with overdose among former prisoners. METHODS This qualitative study included former prison inmates (N=29) who were recruited within two months after their rel...

BACKGROUND In response to some of the highest drug overdose death rates in the country, Project Lazarus developed a community-based overdose prevention program in Western North Carolina. The Wilkes County unintentional poisoning mortality rate was quadruple that of the state's in 2009 and due almost exclusively to prescription opioid pain relievers, including fentanyl, hydrocodone, methadone, a...