Opioid Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
Opioids are a class of highly addictive drugs that act on the nervous system to relieve pain. These drugs often give people a “high” by inducing feelings of pleasure and relaxedness. After use, users are at risk to develop opioid addiction disorder, or in other words, an opioid addiction.
Heroin is a commonly used illicit opioid. Some of the most commonly used prescription opioids include:
- Codeine
- Fentanyl
- Heroin
- Hydrocodone (Vicodin, Norco)
- Methadone
- Morphine
- Oxycodone (Percocet, OxyContin)
Anyone who takes an opioid for a prolonged period of time is at risk of opioid use disorder, which amplifies the risk for overdose.
You are at risk for an opioid overdose if you…
- have a history of substance abuse or non-fatal overdoses
- have certain medical conditions like liver or lung disease, HIV or depression
- mix opioids with alcohol or benzodiazepines like Xanax, Ativan or Valium that make you sleepy
- take high doses of prescription opioids
- inject opioids
- smoke cigarettes or have a respiratory illness
- do not know the strength and dosage of prescription opioids or the purity of street drugs
- Recently completed a detoxification program or been released from incarceration, which lowered your opioid tolerance
An opioid overdose has symptoms like…
- Loss of consciousness
- Non-responsive to outside stimulus
- Awake, but unable to speak
- Breathing is very slow and shallow, or has stopped completely
- Choking sounds, or the “death rattle”
- Blue or gray tint
If you think someone is overdosing, the best practice is to call 9-1-1 and administer naloxone.
Naloxone is a non-addictive prescription medication used to reverse an opioid overdose. Specifically, naloxone reverses the depression of the central nervous system and respiratory system, which allows an overdose victim to breathe. Naloxone has no downside, because the drug has no negative impact if opioids are not present, but will work immediately if opioids are present. It can be administered by anyone by injection into the muscle or vein, or by nasal spray.
Naloxone is available as prescription medication, and some states, including Texas, allow the reversal agent to be distributed to the public without a prescription from a physician via a standing order.
A naloxone rescue kit can be obtained from a community pharmacy or via community distribution and education programs. Pharmacies like Walgreens, CVS and Walmart have committed to stocking and providing kits. Most insurance plans including TX Medicaid will pay for naloxone rescue kits or you can pay cash.
Opioid Task Force Resources
External Opioid Resources
- CDC opposes misapplication of the 2016 opioid prescribing guideline for chronic pain
- CDC Webinar: The Opioid Crisis
- MACPAC Explores Barriers to MAT for Opioid Use Disorder
- Drug and Opioid-Involved Overdose Deaths — United States, 2013–2017
- Integrating Responses at the Intersection of Opioid Use Disorder and Infectious Disease Epidemics
- National Academy of Medicine Launches Action Collaborative to Counter Opioid Epidemic; Public-Private Partnership Will Coordinate Initiatives Across Sectors to Drive Collective Solutions
- CDC Quality Improvement and Care Coordination: Implementing the CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain
- HIV and the Opioid Epidemic: 5 Key Points
- Practical Implications: Opioid-Affected Births to Rural Residents (PDF)
- CDC Drug Overdose Death Data
- CDC Health Alert Network (HAN) Health Update: Rising Numbers of Deaths Involving Fentanyl and Fentanyl Analogs, Including Carfentanil, and Increased Usage and Mixing with Non-opioids
- Integrating Responses at the Intersection of Opioid Use Disorder and Infectious Disease Epidemics: Proceedings of a Workshop (PDF). Anna Nicholson, Rapporteur; Board on Population Health and Public Health Practice, Health and Medicine Division
- Texas Health and Human Services report: Maternal Mortality and Morbidity: The Role of Drug Overdoses
- Impact of the Opioid Epidemic on the Aging Services Network and Older Adults They Serve: The National Council on Aging surveyed more than 200 community-based organizations in the aging network from 40 states and Puerto Rico, and developed this report on the impact of opioids on the quality of life of older adults and the ability of local organizations to serve them.
- Opioid overdoses skyrocket in the face of COVID-19 pandemic; stronger drugs, scarce treatment blamed - Chicago Tribune: As opioid-related deaths have sharply increased so far this year, Chicago drug users are navigating increasingly unsafe drugs on the market and a changed landscape due to the societal impacts of COVID-19.