dionysos803

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OD or situational shock
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Today 08:59 AM by dionysos803
Last night my brother left his Facebook up and going on a family computer where our mother came across a few messages between different people of him discussing either selling and/or being sick from taking heroin. This happen probably about 30 minutes to an hour after he went up to go to bed abnormally early for the night. When she seen enough she told me to wake him up and make him come downstairs to talk to her. When I knocked on his door and woke him up he said it was behind me went to go see her, I grab the dogs and got out of the room and immediately my mom yelled for my help as my brother just passed out in the middle of talking to her and I started rolling in the back of his head. Within 30 seconds to a minute he was going is it nothing just happened.

Quick backstory on him is about a year-and-a-half ago it was known he was hooked on drugs about a year ago everything finally fell apart went to rehab 430 days when he got out he moved into our mothers house where he still currently remains. The whole time he's been living there he's claimed sobriety however I've had my doubts for a really long time. I don't believe he was doing heroin for the most part of the year where is Reese doing benzos or some other type of pill. Fast forward to a few weeks ago is when he started talking to a lot of people on wine about him using

I don't really know how any of this works so I was wondering if you could help me out.

Does anyone know if this short last episode of him passing out with his eyes rolling in the back of his head could have been an overdose

Are overdoses always instant taking drugs or in this case heroin could he have an overdose 30 minutes to an hour after taking it?

Do some people wake up from an overdose on their own without narcan

Nelly1

first of all, so sorry to hear you and your family are going through this. I know the situation at hand all too well. I think it's important to understand that just because someone is claiming sobriety that doesn't mean they are truly sober. In the mind of the addict, they preach sobriety to try to shame us into believing what we are seeing and feeling can't possibly be true. They believe that if we are told over and over that they are sober that we will stop focusing on whether or not they are high. This is also a form of manipulation. They try to guilt us in to believing them by saying things like "how can you think i'm high? You know im working so hard on sobriety" ..... but you will hear many times on this forum that recovery looks like recovery. IF your gut is telling you that they are high, and it's walking like a duck and quacking like a duck then it must be a duck... not a donkey.

From your post you said he was in his room when you and your mom saw his facebook... theres a chance then that he consumed more drugs while in his room. I have never seen and overdose but I have seen my significant other in a very deep nod... which basically looks like he's sleeping for a few seconds.. very scary to see. If his eyes rolled back in his head that could have been "nodding off" and not necessarily an overdose. However, I have heard of people getting EXTREMELY messed up from heroin and saying things like "omg I don't remember how I woke up here" ect.... I think it is important that if he is staying with your mom that she tries to get her hands on some Narcan. It is widely available where I live and I (sadly) have it stored in my house. I know it sounds scary but it truly can be a life saver...... Again, it's sad we even need to be discussing these topics but overdosing is a very real threat for any heroin addicted person. I am sending you a hug and some strength....

dionysos803

Thank you for your thoughts and feedback.

If it weren't for his eyes rolling in the back of his head I would have just assumed he nodded off. But this fact makes me think od

He wasn't in the room with our mother when she found it he was in his room. I had to wake him up and bring him to the family room where she was waiting g for him.

We will get narcan immediately

He may have taken more drugs when I woke him up and made him go down stairs but I don't think so just due to the timing of how quick he was to get up and go speak to her to lie about what she saw. Until he passed out while standing and hit the ground.

Plink

My son's eyes would roll back in his head when he was high. Couldn't keep his eyes open. Never passed out though. before we knew he had a real drug problem he would blame it on B/P etc.

As far as having NARCAN on hand I have some very different views on that.

Refiner

Hi Plink... I'm curious what your views are for having it on-hand? Do you think if the addict knows it, they will be more inclined to use thinking someone could "always save them" just in case? Or is it something else?

Nelly1

I think Narcan is a good idea always. What would it matter if a heroin addict knew you had it..... They are inclined to do whatever they want to do because addicts are selfish by nature and are acting upon cloudy one track minded thoughts always. Long before Narcan existed addicts haven't let the dead of an overdose or dying stop them. They are VERY aware of the consequences yet use anyway. We cry and beg them to stop using.... They use anyway. I keep narcan in my home. He knows it is here, it was given to him by the veterans hospital. I (since I live with an addicted love one) feel safer having it on hand. I could not think of one reason not to..... The addict will use whether you have it or not, they will dance with death daily whether you have It or not. Why not be able to stop their death??

Narcan isn't the end all be all to saving them..: they can overdose outside of the home or when we are sleeping and we would never know but I would say with a drug like this..... Why not have it??

Ann

If he is not on drugs then he should have this checked out with his doctor, perhaps it was a seizure of sorts (presuming he was sober).

More likely it was a reaction to drugs but I don't think it should be dismissed as "nothing" if he insists he is clean and sober.

That said, he may insist he is clean and refuse medical help, in which case you can do nothing except wait for the next time and that's just sad. I know because I was in the same place with my own son.

Good luck.

Plink

Hi Refiner, not sure how to word this that I don't seem cruel and heartless here but, how many times? How many times do we try to "save" them when they are not willing to save themselves? Is it one time? or do we keep on trying and no limit?
No limit to the HELL they have put their families through?

Maybe we'd get lucky and one time would be enough to wake them up and they would realize what they are doing with their life. That would be absolutely wonderful! But, if not, then do we do it again and again, sending the families back in to HELL over and over again.

My AS says he can do this on his own and that he doesn't need some kind of regimented treatment center. Maybe he can and then maybe he can't. All I know is that he has put our family through so much especially this last year and still going through it, that if he was to OD not sure that I'd want this to go on and on and on.............