Overdose: what to do before help arrives
An overdose is a medical emergency. Do not wait for the person to “sleep it off”.
Your enquiry is confidential. If life is in immediate danger, call 112.
Call 112 immediately
Say that you suspect an overdose, describe consciousness and breathing, give the exact location and name any known substance. Follow the dispatcher’s instructions. If you are unsure, call anyway.
Support breathing
If the person is unconscious but breathing, place them on their side in the recovery position. If breathing is absent or abnormal, begin resuscitation as instructed by the dispatcher. Do not leave them alone.
What not to do
Do not give coffee, put the person in a cold shower or induce vomiting. If naloxone is available and you know how to use it, administer it for a suspected opioid overdose, but do not delay calling 112.