LIFE GOES ON –

Dec. 4, 2024 – Surviving overdose is a major sentinel event with significant short- and long-term consequences, depending on the substance involved, severity of the overdose, and timeliness and effectiveness of medical intervention.

Sometimes, an overdose is sufficiently life-changing to motivate someone to enter treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD), take MAT, and change their lives. Most times, however, it is a lost opportunity, and overdoses and addiction continue.

Neurological damage is typical in overdoses but rarely evaluated the same way as traumatic brain injury or stroke. For example, opioid overdose with loss of consciousness and depressed respiration can mean severe oxygen deprivation (hypoxia). This can result in cognitive impairments, memory problems, or permanent brain injury-related disability. Stroke or seizures may also occur during overdose, especially when cocaine or amphetamines are involved. 

CONTINUE@PsychologyToday