Preventing Opioid Overdose

The best ways to prevent opioid overdose deaths are to improve opioid prescribing, reduce exposure to opioids, prevent misuse, and treat opioid use disorder.

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Improve Opioid Prescribing
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Treat Opioid Use Disorder
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Prevent Opioid Use Disorder
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Reverse Overdose
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CDC’s Role in the Epidemic
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Evidence-Based Strategies for Prevention
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Additional Help and Resources

How to recognize an overdose

Recognizing an opioid overdose can be difficult. If you aren’t sure, it is best to treat the situation like an overdose—you could save a life. Call 911 or seek medical care for the individual. Do not leave the person alone. Signs of an overdose may include:

Small, constricted “pinpoint pupils”
Falling asleep or loss of consciousness
Slow, shallow breathing
Choking or gurgling sounds
Limp body
Pale, blue, or cold skin

Page last reviewed: October 6, 2021

Content source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control