This resource is a first person story about an individual, Bill, who took prescription opioids for severe lower back pain and unintentionally overdosed when his physician switched his medication from hydrocodone to methadone to address tolerance. Bill didn’t realize methadone accumulates slowly and remains in the
A one page guide for patients and caregivers on how to reduce their risk of overdosing from prescription painkillers, how to recognize an overdose, and what to do if you suspect someone has overdosed.
Cory Palazzi survived an opioid overdose in 2013, but he suffered brain damage and is now legally blind. Now Cory works to educate patients and their caregivers about the risks of prescription opioids and life after addiction. This video was produced by the National Safety Council in 2018. Funding Source: National Safety Council
This video highlights the risks of opioids from the perspective of a mother who lost her son to an overdose after he became addiction following an opioid prescription for a sports injury. The video emphasizes that many patients do not understand the risks of opioid addiction. Produced by the National Safety
Louie Miceli started using prescription opioids after a sports injury. In this video, Louie’s mother and friend speak of Louie and how his prescription eventually led to addiction, the use of heroin, and his death from overdose in 2012. Produced by the National Safety Council in 2014.
This 5 minute video from the National Safety Council describes the coordinated, collaborative response to opioid overdoses in Madison, Wisconsin. The video highlights how community collaboration created a multifaceted response to the overdose epidemic and briefly describes programs that local leaders could potentially adopt in their communities.
This website presents an interactive data chart on drug overdoses in the United States from the National Safety Council. Users can compare data on overdoses over time (1999-2017), by drug type, age, and gender.
This advisory from the U.S. Surgeon General address the drug naloxone and how patients, caregivers, and providers can assure that naloxone is available and people know how to use it to prevent opioid overdoses.
This briefing paper from the National Judicial Opioid Task Force provides information about naloxone and how it is used to treat opioid overdoses and provides guidance for creating naloxone policies for courtrooms.
This infographic from SAMHSA educates patients who use opioids on how to treat and overdose with naloxone.