Treatment:

The health care provider will measure and monitor the patient's vital signs, including temperature, pulse, breathing rate, and blood pressure. Symptoms will be treated as appropriate. The patient may receive:

• Breathing support
• Tube placed through the mouth into the lungs (endotracheal intubation)
• Medicine called naloxone, which helps block the effect of the drug on the central nervous system (such medicine is called a narcotic antagonist)
• Toxicology screening

In most cases, the health care team will monitor the patient for 4 to 6 hours in the emergency room, although the optimal observation time after opioid intoxication has not been defined for most opioids. Those with moderate-to-severe intoxications will likely be admitted to the hospital for 24- to 48 hours.

A psychiatric evaluation is needed for all exposures with suicidal intent.