In 2022, there were 32 total deaths involving heroin in Tampa. That may seem like a small number, but every one of those deaths was someone with people who loved them. All of those deaths caused a ripple effect of pain across their communities.
There is good news, though: heroin use deaths have decreased by over 50% from 2021 to 2022. That means we’re doing something right. But at Real Recovery Solutions, we won’t rest until we aren’t losing anyone to heroin overdoses anymore.
That’s why education surrounding heroin overdose is so important. Knowing how it happens, why it happens, and what to do if one is happening can save lives. We’ll walk you through what you need to know.
What Is a Heroin Overdose?
A heroin overdose happens when you take more heroin than your body can handle and it causes respiratory failure. Heroin overdose isn’t always fatal, but it is without intervention. Anyone experiencing a heroin overdose needs immediate medical attention.
Are There Early Warning Signs of a Potential Heroin Overdose?
Death from heroin overdose is most common an hour to three hours after administering it, so if you’re concerned about someone who just took heroin, it’s best to stay with them for a few hours.
There are no real “early warning signs” of a heroin overdose. If you see any signs of a heroin overdose, it’s a good idea to get the person help as soon as possible. Breathing is typically one of the first things heroin impacts during an overdose, so keep an especially close eye on anyone having any trouble breathing.
When to Get Help: Signs & Symptoms of Heroin Overdose
There are several signs of opioid overdose, but there are three tell-tale signs, sometimes known by professionals as the “opioid overdose triad.” These signs are vital to recognize and include:
- Slowed or no breathing
- Falling in and out of consciousness, or unconsciousness
- Extremely small (pinpoint) pupils
If you notice any of these signs in someone, especially if you know they recently took heroin, get medical help for them right away.
These are additional signs of heroin overdose to be aware of:
- Blueish or ashen skin, fingernails, lips, and/or tongue
- Confusion
- Stomach spasms
- Cold, clammy skin
- Choking or gurgling sounds
- Unresponsiveness
- Low body temperature and pulse
- Convulsions/involuntary muscle movements
What Do I Do in the Event of an Overdose?
The first thing to do if you think someone is overdosing on heroin is call 911. Don’t hesitate. Florida has Good Samaritan Laws in place to protect you from legal repercussions for possessing heroin or being with someone who possesses heroin. You won’t get in trouble for seeking help.
Tell the dispatcher that you think someone may have overdosed on heroin. Be prepared to let them know the person’s symptoms, age, and weight if you know it. Tell them how much heroin they took and when they took it, if you know that too. Provide any information they ask for and follow their instructions. Remember, this is a matter of life or death, and saving the person’s life is more important than anything else.
Stay with the person overdosing until medical personnel arrive. If the person isn’t breathing, you may have to perform rescue breathing. If the person doesn’t start breathing with rescue breathing and you are CPR certified, provide CPR. When they’re breathing, administer naloxone if you have it. Try to keep the person awake. Rubbing their sternum with your knuckles will help. If the person needs to lie down, make sure they lay on their side to prevent any choking. You might also need to administer a second dose of naloxone if they don’t respond to the first dose within two to three minutes of administration, or if overdose symptoms come back.
Naloxone’s effects are only temporary, so the person still needs emergency medical attention, no matter how much better they feel after receiving naloxone.
The Dangers of an Overdose: Is it Always Fatal?
The biggest danger of a heroin overdose is death, and it is an inevitability without medical attention or naloxone. However, the majority of people who experience a heroin overdose do survive, especially since naloxone was made widely available.
There are still potential negative effects besides death, though. It depends on how quickly the person receives medical attention. Lacking oxygen for a long enough time can cause brain damage, and lung injuries and infections like pneumonia following heroin overdoses are common. Organ damage is also a possibility, and more likely when mixing heroin with other substances.
Understanding the Common Signs of Heroin Overdose: Why Do They Happen?
Heroin works by binding to your body’s opioid receptors. Some of these opioid receptors are in your brain stem, which is also a part of your brain that controls breathing. When heroin overwhelms this region of your central nervous system, it interferes with your breathing. That’s what causes the respiratory depression associated with heroin overdose.
Heroin also interacts with your parasympathetic nervous system – your nerve network that helps you relax, among other things. This part of your nervous system is also responsible for how much light enters your eyes by constricting your pupils. Heroin can interfere with this process, too, which causes the “pinpoint pupils” that are so common during a heroin overdose.
Part of your brain stem is also responsible for consciousness, so when opioids interfere in that area, it impacts how conscious you are, too. The opioid receptor heroin primarily binds to – the mu (μ) receptor – also causes sedation. This can cause people overdosing to fall in and out of consciousness, and in some cases, go into a coma, especially when paired with a lack of oxygen to the brain from respiratory depression.
Who Is at Risk of a Heroin Overdose? It Doesn’t Discriminate
Anyone is at risk of a heroin overdose, including people taking it for the first time. Heroin overdose doesn’t discriminate. That means it’s never worth trying, whether it’s just once or you develop a heroin use disorder.
That being said, certain factors are linked to heroin overdose more than others. For example:
- Being a man
- Having a heroin use disorder
- Returning to heroin after stopping for a while
- Previously experiencing an overdose
- Mixing heroin with alcohol or other substances
- Having physical health conditions, especially involving the liver or respiratory system
- Injecting heroin
Because people with heroin use disorders are more likely to overdose, it’s important to know the risk factors for a heroin use disorder, too. These are:
- Untreated mental health conditions
- Genetics
- Early exposure to substances
- Trauma
- Living in an environment encouraging substance use
- History of other substance use disorders
- Being 18 to 25 years old
It’s worth reiterating that you don’t have to have any of these qualities to overdose, or even develop a heroin use disorder. No one is immune to the potential destructive power of heroin.
Treatment Options for Heroin Use Disorder in Florida
If heroin is a part of your life, overdose is an ever-present and scary concern. The only way to ensure it doesn’t happen is by quitting heroin, and that much is way easier said than done. You don’t have to do it alone. Heroin addiction treatment is always an option, and if you’re willing to put the work in, it will change your life.
If heroin is still in your system when you choose to reach out for help, you’ll need to start with a detox program. This will ensure heroin leaves your system safely, and that you have people looking out for you during the process to make it easier.
Once you’ve detoxed successfully, you have a lot of options. You could go to an inpatient facility and stay 24/7. You could also attend an outpatient or intensive outpatient program, which offers a more open schedule and the freedom to attend to your regular life outside of treatment. If you want to spend a significant amount of the day in treatment but return home at night, a partial hospitalization program might be the best option for you.
There’s another group of people, too, who might not be able to or want to participate in an inpatient program, but who feel like their home environment will hurt them on their road to recovery. That’s where a sober living program can come in. It provides housing during treatment and offers you the freedom to build a life in a safe home environment. You’ll also be able to join an awesome community of people who have the same goals as you.
Real Recovery Solutions offers Florida’s largest sober living network, with countless alumni testimonials on how effective treatment is here. Between our addiction treatment facility in Tampa and various sober living homes across eastern Florida, there’s a place for you in the Real Recovery community. If you’re serious about recovery, we’re serious about doing everything we can to set you up for success on that journey. Call us at 813-373-6762 to learn more about how we can help today.
Real people. Real solutions. Real results.
