If you are worried your child may be overdosing on opioids, get clear emergency steps, learn the warning signs, and understand how naloxone can help while you wait for 911.
Tell us what is happening right now so we can guide you through the most relevant next steps for a possible opioid overdose, a recent close call, or planning to keep naloxone at home.
If you think a child or teen may be having an opioid overdose, call 911 right away. Try to wake them by calling their name and rubbing the center of the chest firmly. If they are not responding, breathing very slowly, making choking or gurgling sounds, or their lips look blue or gray, give naloxone if you have it. Follow the product directions, then stay with your child and monitor breathing until emergency help arrives. If trained, provide rescue breathing or CPR as instructed by 911.
Very slow breathing, stopped breathing, shallow breaths, or long pauses between breaths are urgent warning signs.
They do not wake up, cannot stay awake, or do not respond normally to voice, touch, or a firm chest rub.
Blue, gray, or pale lips and skin, pinpoint pupils, limp body, or choking and gurgling sounds can happen during an opioid overdose.
Do not wait to see if symptoms improve. Tell the dispatcher you suspect an opioid overdose and follow their instructions.
Naloxone can temporarily reverse opioid overdose effects. Use it as directed, even if you are not completely sure opioids are involved.
Keep your child on their side if they are breathing, monitor them continuously, and be ready to give another naloxone dose if symptoms return before help arrives.
Naloxone is a fast-acting medicine used in opioid overdose emergencies. Many parents keep it at home if there is any risk of opioid exposure from prescriptions, counterfeit pills, or other substances. If you need to use naloxone on a child or teen, use the device you have on hand exactly as labeled and call 911 even if they seem to improve. Naloxone can wear off before the opioid does, so medical evaluation is still important.
The biggest danger is that opioids can slow or stop breathing, which reduces oxygen to the brain and body.
A child or teen may seem deeply asleep, but they may actually be unconscious and unable to wake up.
Calling 911, giving naloxone, and supporting breathing as directed can make a critical difference while emergency care is on the way.
Yes. Call 911 immediately. Naloxone can temporarily reverse overdose symptoms, but emergency medical care is still needed because the effects can wear off and breathing problems can return.
Use the naloxone product you have according to its instructions and give it as soon as you suspect an opioid overdose. After giving it, call 911 if you have not already, monitor breathing, and stay with your child until help arrives.
If the child is hard to wake, not breathing normally, or has blue or gray lips, treat it as an emergency. Call 911 right away. If naloxone is available, it is generally used when opioid overdose is suspected because delaying help is more dangerous.
Yes. Some counterfeit or unknown pills may contain fentanyl or other opioids without clear labeling. That is why sudden unresponsiveness and breathing changes should always be taken seriously.
Seek medical follow-up, replace any naloxone you used, and make a safety plan for home. Parents often benefit from personalized guidance on warning signs, emergency response, and how to reduce the risk of another overdose.
Answer a few questions to receive clear next steps based on whether an overdose may be happening now, happened recently, or you want to prepare with naloxone and a home response plan.
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