Drug Overdose (cont.)

Risk factors for drug overdose are those that would make someone more likely to abuse drugs, or more likely to accidentally take the incorrect medication or take the wrong dose of a medication.

Risk factors for accidental drug overdose include the following:

• Age: Young children and the elderly are at risk.
• Taking many different medications
• Mental illness

Risk factors for drug overdose in drug abusers include the following:

• Gender: Men are more likely to abuse drugs.
• Age: For example, people 45-54 years of age are more likely to abuse opioids, while people 25-34 years of age are more likely to abuse heroin.
• Low income
• Mental illness
• High daily dosage of medications
• Doctor shopping
• Injection drug use
• Mixing alcohol with drugs
• Using multiple drugs
• History of overdose
• Use of street drugs
• Using drugs alone

Drugs have effects on the entire body. Generally, in an overdose, the effects of the drug may be a heightened level of the therapeutic effects seen with regular use. In overdose, side effects become more pronounced, and other effects can take place, which would not occur with normal use. Large overdoses of some medications cause only minimal effects, while smaller overdoses of other medications can cause severe effects, possibly death. A single dose of some medications can be lethal to a young child. Some overdoses may worsen a person's chronic disease. For example, an asthma attack or chest pains may be triggered.

• Problems with vital signs (temperature, pulse rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure) are possible and can be life threatening. Vital sign values can be increased, decreased, or completely absent.
• Sleepiness, confusion, and coma are common and can be dangerous if the person breathes vomit into the lungs (aspiration).
• Skin can be cool and sweaty, or hot and dry.
• Seizures (convulsions) may occur.
• Chest pain is possible and can be caused by heart or lung damage. Shortness of breath may occur. Breathing may get rapid, slow, deep, or shallow.
• Abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea are possible. Vomiting blood, or blood in bowel movements, can be life threatening.
• Specific drugs can damage specific organs, depending on the drug.

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