Opioid overdose: what to do
Respawn — free naloxone & supplies from PrismaCorp Foundation
PrismaCorp Foundation
(614) 666-6960
theprismacorp.org/respawn
The six steps
- Try to wake themShout their name and shake their shoulders. If nothing, rub your knuckles hard on their breastbone.Responds at all? They're very high, not overdosing — stay with them. No response? Treat it as an overdose.
- Call 911Say someone is unresponsive and not breathing, and give the address. That is the sentence that gets help moving.You don't have to mention drugs. Ohio's Good Samaritan law protects people who call for help in good faith.
- Give naloxoneNasal spray: lay them on their back, put the nozzle in one nostril until your fingers touch the bottom of their nose, and press the plunger all the way in. Injectable: draw up the whole vial and inject it straight into the outer thigh or the muscle of the upper arm.Whichever kind your kit has is one full dose. Nothing to measure or calculate either way.
- Help them breatheTilt the head back, lift the chin, pinch the nose shut, and give one slow breath every 5 seconds. Not able or willing to do breaths? Do hands-only chest compressions instead.Oxygen is what protects the brain while the naloxone catches up. This step matters as much as the dose.
- Still nothing after 2–3 minutes? Give another doseUse a fresh dose — the other nostril, or a new vial and a new syringe. Keep going every 2–3 minutes for as long as you have doses.Fentanyl overdoses often take more than one dose. Running out is common — using too much is not a thing.
- Stay with themNaloxone wears off in 30–90 minutes and the overdose can come back. Stay until EMS arrives. If you must step away, roll them onto their side so they cannot choke.Waking up in withdrawal feels awful — sweating, nausea, agitation. Be calm, say what happened, and keep them from taking more.
Signs of an overdose
- Won't wake up — not to their name, a shoulder shake, or a firm knuckle-rub on the breastbone
- Breathing is slow, shallow, or has stopped
- Choking, gurgling, or snoring sounds — sometimes called a "death rattle"
- Lips, fingertips, or face going blue, grey, or ashen
- Pupils shrunk to pinpoints
- Limp body; cold, clammy skin
- Slow, faint, or no pulse
Numbers worth having
911 Emergency — say "unresponsive and not breathing" and give the address.
1-800-662-4357 SAMHSA National Helpline — free, confidential, 24/7.
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
(614) 666-6960 PrismaCorp Foundation — to ask for a kit.
Get more naloxone
Free in Ohio, no prescription needed: odh.ohio.gov → "Locations for Naloxone & Support". Or ask us: theprismacorp.org/respawn
If your kit has the injectable kind
- Flip the plastic cap off the vial.
- Needle through the rubber, vial upside down, plunger back — draw up all of it. One vial is one dose.
- Straight into the fleshy outside of the thigh or the upper-arm muscle, at a right angle. Through clothing is fine.
- Plunger fully down, pull out, don't re-cap — into a sharps or any hard container with a lid.
Muscle, not a vein — you don't need to find one. Small air bubbles don't matter going into muscle. Prefilled injector instead? Pull the cap and inject; skip 1–2.
Someone who is very high responds to their name or a shake; someone overdosing does not. Naloxone wears off in 30–90 minutes, so the overdose can return — stay with them. Ohio's Good Samaritan law gives limited immunity from minor drug possession charges to people who seek medical help in good faith. Call anyway.
Community overdose-response information, not medical advice. Follows public health guidance from SAMHSA, NIDA/NIH, the Ohio Department of Health, the Ohio Board of Pharmacy, the National Harm Reduction Coalition, and CATIE. Last reviewed July 2026. Free naloxone, no questions asked. Safer-use info: theprismacorp.org/respawn/safer-use