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Substance Use Disorder & Overdose Prevention
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) was awarded funding for a 5-year cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) for the Overdose Data to Action (OD2A) program to support efforts to address the national opioid and drug overdose crisis, with emphasis on the following:
What is Substance Use Disorder?
Substance use disorder occurs when the recurrent use of alcohol or drugs causes clinically significant impairment including health problems, disability, and failure to meet major responsibilities at work, school, or home.
Substance Use Disorder is a chronic brain disease that can be treated, and is characterized by periods of relapse and remission.
What is Opioid Use Disorder?
Opioid Use Disorder (OUD), a substance use disorder, is a problematic pattern of opioid use that causes significant impairment or distress. OUD is a treatable, chronic disease that can affect anyone- regardless of race, gender, income level, or social class.
A diagnosis of OUD is based on specific criteria such as unsuccessful efforts to cut down or control use, or use resulting in a failure to fulfil obligations at work, school, or home among other criteria.
Watch for Signs of an Opioid Overdose
- Small, constricted "pinpoint pupils"
- Falling asleep or losing consciousness
- Weak, slow, or no breath
- Choking or gurgling sounds
- Limp body
- Cold or clammy skin
- Discolored skin (lips and nails)
If You Suspect an Overdose
It may be hard to tell whether a person is high or experiencing an overdose. If you aren't sure, it's best to treat the situation like an overdose - you could save a life.
- Call 911 immediately
- Administer Naloxone, if available
- Try to keep the person awake and breathing
- Lay the person on their side to prevent choking
- Stay with them until emergency workers arrive
KDHE Substance Use Disorder and Overdose Prevention Toolkit
Additional Resources
- Governor Kelly Signs Bipartisan Bill to Decriminalize Fentanyl Test Strips in Kansas
- Kansas Naloxone Program
- State Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting System (SUDORS)
- Partnerships with Public Safety and First Responders
- Enhanced Universal Home Visitation Pilot Projects
- Empowering Individuals to Make Safer Choices
- NaRCAD - Providers and Health Systems Support
- State to State PDMP and OD2A Peer Education
- Enhancing K-Tracs
- Establishing Linkages to Care
- Overdose Data to Action Bio-Surveillance Flyer (PDF)
More About Opioids
What are Opioids?
Opioids are a class of prescription drugs that are used to relieve pain associated with symptoms of an illness, an injury, or surgical procedure. Opiates are derived from plants and opioids are synthetic drugs that have the same actions as opiates.
Prescription opioid medications include oxycodone, oxymorphone, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, fentanyl, codeine, methadone, tramadol, buprenorphine, morphine, and the illicit drug heroin.
Opioids activate an area of the brain, nerve cells and brain “receptors” that block pain signals.
The use of Opioid increases as the individual needs more of the drug called dependency. An individual with opioid use disorder often increases the amount and frequency of opioid use to prevent the symptoms of withdrawal.
Opioid withdrawal syndrome is often characterized as a flu-like illness.
If an individual stops or cuts back on opioids after heavy use, they will experience several uncomfortable symptoms during withdrawal.
Withdrawal symptoms include dysphoria, insomnia, pupillary, dilation, piloerection, yawning, muscle aches, lacrimation, rhinorrhea, nausea, fever, sweating, vomiting and diarrhea.