If you’re trying to tell whether a teen or child may be overdosing on opioids, focus on breathing, responsiveness, skin color, and pupil size. This page helps you recognize opioid overdose warning signs quickly and get clear next-step guidance.
Share the opioid overdose signs you’ve noticed to get personalized guidance for this situation, including whether the symptoms match a possible overdose and what parents should do next.
An opioid overdose often looks like a person who is extremely hard to wake, breathing very slowly or not at all, with blue, gray, or pale lips or skin. Parents may also notice pinpoint pupils, limpness, or unusual gurgling, choking, or snoring sounds. If you are wondering how to tell if someone is overdosing on opioids, changes in breathing and responsiveness are the most urgent signs.
Very slow, shallow, irregular, or stopped breathing is one of the most serious opioid overdose symptoms in teens and children.
If your child or teen cannot be awakened, does not respond normally, or suddenly collapses, treat it as an emergency.
Blue, gray, or pale lips or skin and pinpoint pupils are common signs of opioid overdose in children and teens.
Gurgling, choking, or deep snoring-like sounds can mean the airway is partly blocked and the person is not breathing normally.
Call their name, rub your knuckles firmly on the center of the chest, and see whether they respond in a meaningful way.
Extreme sleepiness, limpness, or sudden collapse after possible pill, powder, or fentanyl exposure can signal an overdose developing quickly.
Fentanyl overdose symptoms in teens can appear very quickly and may look the same as other opioid overdoses: slowed or stopped breathing, unresponsiveness, pinpoint pupils, and blue or gray skin tone. Because fentanyl can be mixed into counterfeit pills or other substances, a teen may overdose without realizing they took an opioid.
If breathing is slow, stopped, or the person is hard to wake, call 911 right away. Do not wait to see if symptoms pass.
Naloxone can reverse an opioid overdose temporarily. Give it as directed and continue emergency steps while waiting for help.
Keep the person on their side if they are breathing, watch closely, and be ready to give another naloxone dose if symptoms return.
Common opioid overdose symptoms in teens include very slow or stopped breathing, being hard to wake up, blue or gray lips or skin, pinpoint pupils, gurgling or choking sounds, and sudden collapse.
A person who is overdosing may not wake when you call their name or rub the center of their chest firmly. Breathing may be slow, shallow, noisy, or absent, and skin color may look pale, blue, or gray.
The core signs are similar across ages: breathing problems, unresponsiveness, pinpoint pupils, and color changes. In children, symptoms may be harder to recognize quickly, so any unexplained sleepiness or breathing change after possible exposure should be treated urgently.
A fentanyl overdose often looks like a rapid opioid overdose: extreme sleepiness, inability to wake up, slowed or stopped breathing, pinpoint pupils, and blue or gray lips or skin. It can happen fast, even with a very small amount.
If you’re trying to recognize opioid overdose symptoms in a child or teen, answer a few questions to get focused guidance for this situation and clearer next steps for your family.
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