How is an opiate overdose treated?
In Pulp Fiction, one of the female characters overdosed on opiates. John Travolta was screaming at a man to get the adrenaline shot, and eventually complied. The adrenaline was then injected directly into her heart, jump-starting her body back to life. Hold up! Back to reality. Adrenaline is not used to counter an opiate overdose, but instead, some sort of opiate receptor blocking drug (opioid antagonist). In the movie Transpotting, one of the characters is left at the entrance of a hospital emergency room, discovered, and given an opiate antagonist. Within moments he is jumping out of his skin. This is a much better representation of the effects of an opiate antagonist; almost always used is naloxone, also known as Narcan. Naloxone works in a matter of seconds by stripping any opiates off the opiate receptors. Instant withdrawal. Sounds fun, eh?
