Will I Have a Drug Overdose From Opioids?

Question: Will I Have a Drug Overdose From Opioids?

Answer: Seems like you can’t turn around these days without hearing about another celebrity’s drug overdose. Often, even when it’s only speculation, the finger points to opioids as the culprit. Sadly, strong painkillers tend to make headlines, especially when there is danger involved. If you are taking opioids, such as oxycodone, meperidine (Demerol) or fentanyl, are you in danger of a drug overdose?

Negative Press About Opioids

With so much negative press, it is easy to get nervous about using narcotic pain medications. While it is true that some people do accidentally have a drug overdose when taking opioids, it is also true that plenty of people out there take opioids for chronic pain without any negative effects. Keeping yourself safe from a potential drug overdose is simple, if you and your doctor are careful about your opioid use.

Keeping Yourself Safe

Since opioids can be potentially dangerous or even deadly when mixed with certain other prescription drugs, take care when you have to take multiple medications. Make sure your doctor knows exactly what meds you take regularly, including those you purchase over-the-counter. It is best not to mix opioids with any nervous system depressants, as it may cause potentially fatal breathing difficulties. Some examples include:

• Alcohol
• Sedatives such as sleep aids
• Antihistamines
• General anesthetics
• MAOI inhibitors

Another way to stay safe from a drug overdose is to take opioids only as directed by your doctor. If the instructions say to take your pill whole, don’t crush it. This can potentially release too much of the strong medication at once. Also, don’t increase your dosage without first consulting your doctor, even if you feel your medication is no longer as effectively controlling your pain. Either or both of these actions could lead to a potentially fatal drug overdose.

Talk To Your Doctor

If you still have concerns about a drug overdose from taking opioids for pain, have a conversation with your doctor. He can talk to you about prescription medication safety, or even change the type of medication you are taking. However, if opioids are working fine for you, don’t feel you have to change your entire medication regime because of a few celebrity deaths from drug overdoses.

_Sources:

_{American Pain Society. Advocacy: The Use of Opioids for the Treatment of Chronic Pain. Accessed 6/27/09. http://www.ampainsoc.org/advocacy/opioids.htm}

_{Gould, Harry J. Understanding Pain: What it Is, Why it Happens and How It’s Managed. American Academy of Neurology Press. 2007.}

_{National Institute on Drug Abuse. Research Report Series: Prescription Drugs – Abuse and Addiction. Accessed 6/27/09. http://www.nida.nih.gov/Researchreports/Prescription/prescription2.html}