Government of Saskatchewan ministries, Crown corporations and organizations are implementing contingency plans to minimize the impacts of postal service disruption.
Les ministères, sociétés d’État et organismes du gouvernement de la Saskatchewan mettent en œuvre des plans d’urgence visant à réduire les répercussions de l’interruption du service des postes.
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An overdose happens when your body is overwhelmed by a toxic amount of a drug or combination of drugs. Drugs act on the body in different ways, so an overdose can appear different when different drugs are involved.
Opioids affect the part of the brain that controls breathing, so when too much of an opioid is taken, breathing slows or stops. The signs of an opioid overdose include:
Call 911 if the signs of an opioid overdose are present. Administer naloxone if it's available. An opioid overdose can be mistaken for sleeping – make sure they are breathing well.
Learn more about how to respond to an opioid overdose.
Learn more about opioid drugs.
Stimulants – like crystal methamphetamine, cocaine, amphetamines, Ritalin, MDMA (ecstasy) and caffeine – speed the body up. The signs of a stimulant overdose include:
Call 911 if the signs of a stimulant overdose are present. There is no antidote to a stimulant overdose. Naloxone will not work for a stimulant overdose, but will NOT cause harm. When in doubt, administer naloxone.
Learn more about crystal meth.
Learn more about cocaine.
Mixing a drug with other substances, whether they are prescription drugs, street drugs, or alcohol, can increase your risk of overdose and death. Some combinations can be more deadly than others.
Street drugs may have other drugs mixed in without your knowledge. Get your drugs checked to know more about what might be in your drugs.
One myth about mixing drugs is that using stimulants ("uppers") and depressants ("downers") together can cancel out the risk. However, using two drugs together means your body has more work to process two drugs instead of one.
It is important to note that mixing substances, for example an opioid and a stimulant, can decrease the effectiveness of naloxone when responding to an overdose.
Naloxone is effective to reverse the effects of an opioid and will not cause harm if administered for overdoses caused by other types of drugs. It is recommended to administer naloxone in the event of an overdose.
Some drugs are far more potent than others. Fentanyl is an opioid that is 50-100 times more potent than other opioids (such as heroin, oxycodone, and morphine). It can be deadly even in extremely small amounts. The illegal opioid supply has become more potent in recent years.
If you are sick or feeling unwell, your body may be working harder than usual and less able to handle the amount of drugs that you would usually use. If you have an illness that affects your lungs and you take a depressant drug ("downer") that slows breathing, you may be at a higher risk of overdose and death. Depressant drugs that slow breathing include opioids (such as fentanyl, morphine, hydromorphone, heroin, oxycodone, or methadone), gabapentin and benzodiazepines. If you take a stimulant drug and have a pre-existing heart condition, you may be at a higher risk of overdose and death.
With some drugs, like opioids, the body can build a tolerance. This means that over time, you would have to use more drugs than before to feel the same effects. If you start using a new type of drug, stop using drugs or reduce your use – even for a few days – you may have less tolerance.
Anyone who uses drugs, whether they were prescribed, shared at a party or bought on the street, can be at risk of an overdose. This includes people with prescriptions from their doctors who 'take extra,' take more by accident, combine substances, or take street drugs in addition to their prescription drugs. It includes people who use drugs occasionally for fun or stress relief. And it includes people who have substance use disorders.
People of all ages, genders, walks of life, and their family/friends have been affected by overdoses and died of overdoses in Saskatchewan.
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