Experiencing Opioid Overdose: Risk According to People Who inject Drugs in San Francisco

• In Event: 2184 - Section on Medical Sociology Refereed Roundtable Session
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 14. The Prescription Drug and Opioid Epidemic

Abstract

People who inject drugs are most likely to experience and die from an opioid overdose. The risk factors for opioid overdose have been examined closely, but the firsthand accounts of people who have experienced overdoses are less documented. In this study, we used a comparative content analysis approach to qualitatively analyze 45 interviews conducted with people who inject drugs in San Francisco, CA. In the interviews, participants discussed the context and factors involved in their recent overdoses experiences – both those they witnessed and personally experienced. We describe five themes that participants reported factored into their overdose experiences: 1) opioid expertise, 2) periods of mandatory abstinence, 3) uncertain supply, composition, source, and 4) managing polysubstance use, and 5) mental health and suicide. We use sociological theories (lay/expert theories, risk environments, structural determinates) to frame the discussion. These five factors underscore the relevance of structural factors and lay expertise in overdoses, which to some degree contradict the public health approaches to reducing overdose within this population. We argue these findings underscore the need to adapt public health messages and interventions to better address the everyday realities of people who inject drugs.

Author

• Jamie Suki Chang, Santa Clara University