I am Starting to Experience the Side Effects of the Drug – What Should I Do Next?

First of all, one need to be able to recognize the symptoms of drug overdose, some common symptoms are dizzy, nausea, headache, rapid heartbeat, feeling unsteady, coma, cotton mouth, excessive sweating and others.

The reason of drug overdose can be categorized into:

  • accidental ( took the wrong drug, or wrong combination of drugs, or in the wrong amount or time ) and
  • intentional misuse ( a cry for help for a suicide attempt or for the intention of get “HIGH”

    • If one start to experiencing the side effects of the drugs (due to over-dose) below should be done,

    1. Get Help, call your doctor, emergency department or the nearest hospital, but try to stay calm & give your address and phone number.

    2. Admission to hospital for further treatment

    3. Get a full assessment in the emergency department – blood tests, observation and psychological review to check that there is no delayed damage.

    4. At the hospital, the doctor will try to removing the drug from the body by:

    1. a. giving activated charcoal which binds the drug so the body can’t absorb it
    2. b. The stomach may be washed out by gastric lavage (stomach pumping) to mechanically remove unabsorbed drugs
    3. c. Medication to stimulate urination or defecation. This may flush any remaining drug out of the body faster.
    4. d. An intravenous line (a needle inserted into a vein) may be put into the arm or back of the hand. Fluids, either sterile saline (salt water solution) or dextrose (sugar-water solution) can be administered through this line. Increasing fluids can help to flush the drug out of the system
    5. e. Hem dialysis (a form of blood washing ) to filter some drugs out of the body.

    5. For certain overdoses, other medicine may need to be given either to serve as an antidote to reverse the effects of what was taken or to prevent even more harm from the drug that was initially taken.

    After discharging from the hospital, one need to seek for professional help and treatment to recover from the influence of drug:

    1. Go to a treatment centre or health agency to get necessary treatment and help
    2. Receive Individual or group counseling
    3. Seek for a Self-help group, someone who has been in a similar situation as you are. You may get a lot of support from the group.
    4. Get treatment from the Therapeutic communities – the aim is for personal growth, with the understanding of the others in the community.
    5. One may get “Counseling on line” as well for reference and online advise
    6. Go for Alcohol and Drug Rehab treatment for drug withdrawal treatment. This require a medical professional to be present as drug withdrawal can be an extremely uncomfortable process. The withdrawal symptoms can last a few days to a few weeks and may include nausea or vomiting, sweating, shakiness, and anxiety for certain individuals.