Wake up to the dangers of painkillers.
People react differently to medication. The strong painkillers you’ve taken to reduce your pain could also cause you to suffocate due to opioid overdose.
Last year, more people died from opioids than car accidents. 1
Last year, more people died from opioids than car accidents. 5
Opioid overdose is a risk for anyone taking prescription painkillers. That’s because the sedative effect of painkillers can hinder the body’s natural instinct to breathe, which can lead to cardiac arrest, brain damage, or death.5 This often occurs during sleeping hours at night, so you might not be aware it’s happening. If you have a bad reaction to opioids while asleep, there’s a chance you might never wake up.
Am I at Risk?Consult your healthcare provider for more information.
References:
- 1 Opioid Overdose. World Health Organization.
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/opioid-overdose. - 2 Peterson C et al. American journal of preventive medicine. 2019;56(6):875-81.
- 3 Gupta K, Prasad A, Nagappa M, Wong J, Abrahamyan L, Chung FF. Risk factors for opioid-induced respiratory depression and failure to rescue: a review. Curr Opin Anaesthesiol. 2018 Feb;31(1):110-119. doi: 10.1097/ACO.0000000000000541. PMID: 29120929. Styles Code
- 4 Dunn, KM et al. Opioid prescriptions for chronic pain and overdose: a cohort study. Annals of internal medicine vol. 152,2 (2010): 85-92. doi:10.7326/0003-4819-152-2-201001190-00006.
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