Drug Overdoses are a Major Threat
March 20, 2019Information
Leonardo Lizbinski
The Roger Barnett Public Health Video Challenge 2019
- 00:03Drug overdoses are a major threat all across the United States.
- 00:08According to health law, a drug overdose occurs when a person takes too much
- 00:12of any substance whether it be prescription,
- 00:14over-the-counter, legal or illegal.
- 00:17Symptoms may include nausea or vomiting.
- 00:19Confusion or loss of consciousness.
- 00:22Aggression. Tremors.
- 00:24Hallucinations or delusions.
- 00:27Risk factors include dosage error
- 00:30or misuse. History
- 00:31with addiction, storage misplacement
- 00:34or mental illnesses.
- 00:36According to the CDC, drug overdose death rates have dramatically increased
- 00:40since 2001, and drug overdoses have skyrocketed in 2017
- 00:44dominated by synthetic opioids — synthetic opioids are manmade
- 00:48jobs, highly potent. Examples include fentanyl
- 00:51and tramadol often abused for pain relief — very addictive.
- 00:54They reduced U.S. life expectancy in the past three years.
- 00:57Last year President Trump declared the opium crisis a nationwide
- 01:01public health emergency. These are important measures.
- 01:04Yet we could do much more for those affected.
- 01:06We can request follow ups and evaluation for addiction after opioid
- 01:10prescriptions.
- 01:11You can call the 24/7 Drug Abuse Hotline at the following number: 1-8770751-2819 for
- 01:15those we care deeply about. We can spread awareness of naloxone,
- 01:19a drug that blocks the effects of opioids.
- 01:22We can limit opioid prescriptions by educating physicians of the
- 01:26pertinent dangers.
- 01:27Thank you for listening.