DON’T USE ALONE. Stimulant overamping and overdose

BRING NALOXONE. Fatal overdoses are not common with stimulant use, however the drug supply is unpredictable and a SAVE YOURSELF OR A FRIEND. fatal overdose is possible. Overamping can be considered a type of non-fatal overdose. This information is to help identify when a person is overamping and needs to rest, and when a person goes down and needs emergency medical services. Thank you to the Ontario Harm Reduction Distribution Overamping Overdose (OD) Safer Program (OHRDP); Jennifer Broad and Keith Williams from the Toronto Community Hepatitis C Program; SIGNS OF OVERAMPING SIGNS OF STIMULANT OVERDOSE (OD) Natalie Kaminski from the Peel Region Drug User • Crushing chest pain Network; Toward the Heart BCCDC Harm Reduction Effects of the high can become more extreme Services; Street Works; Nine Circles; and HANDUP for with meth over-use. This happens more often • Seizures Crystal their help in the development of the resource. when someone hasn’t slept or eaten in a while. • Unconscious or in-and-out Design and layout: Pam Sloan Designs. • No pulse or no breathing CATIE project leads: Rivka Kushner and Melisa Dickie. These can include: • rigid, jerking limbs This resource is adapted from a brochure by the WHAT TO DO IF SOMEONE ODS Meth Ontario Harm Reduction Distribution Program • irregular heartbeat or chest pain (OHRDP), 2014, which adapted an original • skin feeling hot or sweaty 11. Call 911 (or get someone else to call) resource by Vancouver Coastal Health, 2011. • severe headaches for an ambulance and report back. Production of this publication has been made possible • anxiety, paranoia, confusion, agitation or 22. Stay and help. Even if you’ve taken drugs Smoking in part through financial contributions from the Ontario Ministry of Health and the Public Health Agency of hallucinations (including drug-induced psychosis) or have some on you, the Good Samaritan Canada (PHAC). The views expressed herein do not Drug Overdose Act may protect you. necessarily represent the views of our funders. WHAT TO DO IF SOMEONE IS OVERAMPING 33. If a person is unconscious or has stopped • Be calm and help the person be calm. breathing, give breaths. For those trained Try to get them to slow down and rest. in CPR, if a person’s heart has stopped (they • Give them water and keep them hydrated. have no pulse), give chest compressions too. • Try to help them cool down. 44. Tell paramedics as much as you can about what happened.

Naloxone reverses an opioid overdose. www.catie.ca There is no antidote to stimulant overdose, /CATIEinfo but the drug supply is toxic and unpredictable. If you have to leave the person alone, Giving someone naloxone will not harm them. put them in the RECOVERY POSITION. When in doubt, use naloxone. IT’S SAFE. © 2020, CATIE (Canadian AIDS Treatment Information Exchange). All rights reserved.

CATIE Ordering Centre Catalogue Number: ATI- 70218 Talk to your harm reduction worker about where to get support (aussi disponible en français, ATI- 70219) and help if you want to reduce or stop your crystal meth use. How to prepare your meth pipe: 5 Once you begin to see 6 The pipe will be very hot – vapour, continue heating handle it with care. 1 Clean your hands 2 Pour crystal with soap and water meth into pipe. pipe and inhale slowly, If the pipe has a or alcohol swabs. then exhale immediately crack or chip, throw it out. (holding in won’t get you more high and can burn 3 Fit mouthpiece 4 Hold pipe and apply heat to ALCOHOL your lungs). SWAB ALCOHOL onto pipe. bowl. The flame shouldn’t SWAB touch the bowl. Keep heat moving around the bowl.

Supplies you use to smoke Safer crystal meth smoking tips Mouth care crystal meth safer: • Avoid using alone. • Connect with others. • Drink water or juice to keep your mouth Try to smoke in a safe place with people you trust. Ask them to reach out to make sure you’re okay. moist and reduce cracks and blisters. • Start low, go slow. • Take care of yourself. • Moisten your lips with your own lip balm. The crystal meth may be more Try to eat something before you smoke. • Chew gum to keep your mouth moist and potent than you realize. Stay hydrated with water or juice. reduce clenching. • Know the source of your drugs. • Be kind to yourself and your skin. • Brush your teeth when possible or use • BOWL PIPE Try to prepare doses yourself. Wash your hands after smoking. mouthwash. • Avoid mixing substances. • Take a break. • Avoid infection by using your own • MOUTHPIECE Mixing with opioids can lead to a fatal overdose. Get some sleep, drink water or mouthpiece or pipe and not sharing it. • Have condoms and lube with you. juice and eat something. You may want to have sex while high. Use your own stem ALCOHOL SWAB and mouthpiece to prevent hepatitis C. • TORCH Hepatitis C can be passed through tiny • ALCOHOL SWAB LIGHTER Combining substances can be dangerous amounts of blood on meth smoking • Erectile drugs (Viagra, • Other stimulants, • Downer drugs, • Alcohol & stimulant drugs equipment. Talk to a harm reduction This resource provides information about how Cialis) put extra strain on like MDMA or like GHB, can (MDMA, cocaine) can dehydrate worker about where to get equipment to smoke crystal meth with this equipment. the heart, cause sudden cocaine, can push lead to stroke the body further when mixed. and where to get tested for hepatitis C. Talk to your local harm reduction site about shifts in blood pressure your body too far, or heart attack. This can negatively affect Smoking meth can lead to skin issues which safer drug use supplies are available and can lead to stroke, increasing the risk of kidney and liver function and such as infections, lesions or abscesses and how they are meant to be used. chest pain and heart attack. overheating or stroke. make crash symptoms worse. that may require medical attention.