Alcohol Overdose: Causes, Risk Factors, and Symptoms

If you accidentally take a sleeping pill, contact emergency services or a poison control center immediately. Sleeping pill overdoses are usually treated with supportive care, meaning that the doctor monitors the patient’s breathing and cardiovascular system while the body works the benzodiazepine out of the system. In some cases, activated charcoal, hemodialysis or whole bowel irrigation may play a role in helping to treat an overdose. Daily drinking can have serious consequences for a person’s health, both in the short- and long-term. Many of the effects of drinking every day can be reversed through early intervention. People with type 2 diabetes are twice as likely as those without diabetes to take prescription opioids, research shows, potentially making them more vulnerable to misuse and addiction.

• Sleeping pill use may increase the risk of nighttime falls and injury in older adults.
• If a person is an addict or continues to abuse drugs, chances are they’ll overdose eventually.
• Since people assigned male and female at birth have differences in body chemistry, they may absorb and metabolize alcohol at different rates.

The Importance of Safe Sleep Aid Use

• If you or someone you know is struggling with the misuse of sleeping pills or any other substance, don’t hesitate to seek professional help.
• Overdosing on pills can cause injuries to vital organs like the liver, lungs, heart, and brain.
• Treating insomnia without a thorough exam can mask an underlying problem that requires care.
• Nowadays, doctors are more likely to prescribe a newer class of sleep drugs called «gamma-aminobutyric acid (or GABA) medications,» which appear to be less risky for addiction, although a small potential exists.

Misuse or overuse can lead to dependency, tolerance, and even overdose. Learn how to stay safe and what to do if you experience an overdose. According to one study, as many as 44% of heart patients have trouble sleeping. There are many different reasons, from shortness of breath to difficulty getting comfortable after heart surgery.

Binge drinking

People who drink occasionally may have internal bleeding while taking this medication. People who drink heavily may also experience internal bleeding (such as in the stomach or intestines) or bleeding disorders. When combined with alcohol, medications alcohol and pills for attention and concentration disorders can make a person dizzy and sleepy. Kava Kava, an herbal preparation, is sometimes used to treat these conditions. It, too, should not be used with alcohol due to liver damage and drowsiness risk.

• Fatal overdoses typically only occur when mixed with depressants like benzodiazepines or alcohol.
• Using sleeping pills and alcohol together exponentially increases the likelihood of developing a poly-drug use disorder and other co-occurring mental health disorders.
• When mixed with alcohol, Excedrin and Tylenol can also cause liver damage.
• Older people also are more likely to take a medication that interacts with alcohol—in fact, they often need to take more than one of these medications.

Sleeping Pill Interactions

Doxylamine overdose may cause severe drowsiness, dry mouth, blurred vision and in extreme cases, seizures. While sleeping pills serve as effective solutions for managing sleep disorders, their usage demands caution. A profound and prolonged drowsiness that goes beyond the expected sedative effects of the sleeping pill. When someone overdoses on a drug, alcohol, or a combination of both, emergency services personnel will examine the individual and check the person’s pulse, airway, and https://ecosoberhouse.com/ breathing. If needed, airway support and assisted ventilation will be provided.

While it is technically possible to take too much melatonin, an overdose is highly unlikely. Extensive studies on melatonin have found no evidence of an overdose, even at extremely high doses taken for weeks. Talk to your pediatrician or pediatric sleep specialist before giving OTC medications or supplements to your child. Sedatives can also worsen snoring and sleep apnea, a potentially life-threatening condition.

Risks / Benefits

Most people who overdose will experience only mild side effects, like dizziness and nausea. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (U.S.), there were about 12,500 drug overdose deaths involving benzodiazepines in 2021. Benzodiazepines can be addictive and lead to a substance use disorder. To lower this risk, healthcare providers only prescribe these sleeping pills for short-term use.