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When to Seek Emergency Help for an Overdose: Call 911 or Poison Control?

Call 911 for suspected overdose with trouble breathing, collapse, seizure, or inability to wake. For non-emergency poison exposures in the U.S., contact Poison Control.
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Call 911 immediately if someone may have overdosed and cannot be awakened, has trouble breathing, collapses, or has a seizure. For a suspected opioid overdose, call 911 even if naloxone is available or the person seems to improve after receiving it. If there are no life-threatening symptoms, contact U.S. Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 for case-specific advice. Outside the United States, use local emergency and poison-center services.

When should I call 911 for an overdose?

Call 911 immediately if the person collapses, has a seizure, is having trouble breathing, or cannot be awakened. These signs call for emergency services, not online poison triage or waiting to see whether symptoms pass. You do not need to identify the substance before calling.

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For a suspected opioid overdose, treat uncertainty as an emergency. The CDC’s overdose response guidance, dated April 2, 2024, says to treat the situation like an overdose if you cannot tell whether someone is intoxicated or overdosing.

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What are the signs of an opioid overdose?

Warning signs can include unconsciousness or inability to wake, slow or shallow breathing, choking or gurgling sounds, and discolored skin, particularly around the lips or nails. Other signs described by SAMHSA include an extremely pale or clammy face, limpness, vomiting, inability to speak, and slowed or stopped breathing or heartbeat. Pinpoint pupils can also be a sign.

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A person may show only some of these signs. If they are difficult to wake or their breathing is abnormal, call 911 rather than waiting to confirm which drug was involved.

What should I do while emergency help is coming?

  1. Give naloxone if opioid overdose is suspected and it is available. Follow the directions for the specific product. CDC says naloxone is safe to give when opioid overdose is suspected, even if opioids were not involved. It reverses opioid effects; it is not a general antidote for other drugs or poisons.
  2. Call 911. Do this even if you have given naloxone or the person begins to wake.
  3. Support the person. Try to keep them awake and breathing, lay them on their side to reduce choking risk, and stay with them until emergency assistance arrives.
  4. Give another naloxone dose if needed. According to the CDC’s naloxone guidance, normal breathing may return within 2 to 3 minutes. If it has not, wait 2 to 3 minutes after the first dose before giving another, following the product instructions.

Should I call 911 if naloxone works?

Yes. A person who wakes or improves after naloxone still needs emergency medical assessment. Symptoms may not fully resolve or can return, and other complications may occur, according to CDC/NIOSH guidance.

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Should I call Poison Control or go to the ER?

Use emergency services for life-threatening symptoms: call 911. For a possible poisoning or medication exposure with no such symptoms, contact U.S. Poison Control promptly for individualized triage rather than guessing or waiting for symptoms.

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Situation What to do
Collapse, seizure, trouble breathing, or cannot be awakened Call 911 immediately; do not wait for online triage.
Suspected opioid overdose, including after naloxone is given Call 911, give naloxone if available, support the person, and stay until help arrives.
Possible poison or medication exposure without life-threatening symptoms Contact Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 or use its online tool if the case is eligible.

The Poison Control phone service is free, confidential, and available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Its online tool asks about the person, substance, amount, timing, and symptoms. The tool is not for life-threatening symptoms, and Poison Control directs people to call its phone center instead for cases involving self-harm, multiple substances, pregnancy, pets, children younger than 6 months, or adults older than 79. Details are on Poison Control’s immediate-assistance page.

Prepare for a possible opioid overdose

CDC says anyone can carry naloxone and that it is available over the counter in all 50 U.S. states. If an opioid overdose is suspected, use it if available while calling 911; carrying it does not replace emergency medical care.

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