⚠️ Warning still current (Trimbos, April 2026): counterfeit oxycodone containing nitazenes is still circulating.
Read the warning →No waiting-list stories, no referral to yet another form. Below is who is reachable right now, what to expect from each number, and what you can say if you don't know how to begin. All of this applies in the Netherlands, regardless of which language you speak.
Not sure whether it is an emergency? Then call. An unnecessary call costs nobody anything. Calling too late does.
Say literally "possible opioid overdose" and ask for naloxone. Give the address first. Someone who is snoring heavily and cannot be woken is not asleep. Stay with them until help arrives. You can ask to speak English; emergency operators are used to this.
What to do until the ambulance arrives →You can call or chat day and night, even if you just want to talk and are not sure it is "bad enough". It always is.
Go to 113.nl →The order below is what works fastest in practice: your own GP first, then specialised care, and the anonymous helplines if you are not ready for that conversation yet.
The only one who can create a tapering plan and refer you. Has a duty of confidentiality and shares nothing with your employer. Ask for a double appointment if you need more time. If you are registered with a GP in the Netherlands, this is your route, whatever your nationality.
What to say: "I am using more oxycodone than agreed and I don't know how to stop. I would like a tapering plan."
How to prepare for that conversation →Organisations such as Jellinek, Novadic-Kentron, Tactus and Brijder treat dependence on medication and opioids. You can often register yourself or ask for advice without commitment. Treatment is covered by Dutch basic health insurance.
Self-referral usually possible Go to Jellinek →For when you are not ready to talk to your doctor, but do want to know where you stand. Call or chat anonymously about use, risks and tapering off.
Anonymous · no file Go to Drugsinfo.nl →Independent medical information about strong painkillers, tapering off and what to expect. Useful to read before your appointment, so you know what to ask. Thuisarts.nl has an English section.
Go to Thuisarts →Partners, parents, children and friends often seek help earlier than the person using. This is what helps, and what rarely does.
One thing that is often underestimated: tolerance drops quickly after a period without use. If someone relapses to their old dose after withdrawal or admission, that dose can be fatal. That is when the overdose risk is highest.
Oxycodone is not only the subject here. It is an example of a larger pattern: people enter through a normal route, but as soon as it becomes complex, nobody is in charge any more. Zorgfuik collects those experiences to make the pattern visible. Not a helpline, but a place where it gets counted.
Yes. The national information and advice lines on drugs and alcohol allow you to call or chat anonymously without leaving your details. For a tapering plan or medication you will eventually need a doctor, but a first conversation can be anonymous.
Your GP has a duty of confidentiality and shares nothing with your employer. For the health insurer, treatments are visible in your claims but not their content. If in doubt, discuss this with your doctor before anything is recorded.
Treatment by addiction services is covered by Dutch basic health insurance and goes through your own risk (eigen risico). A conversation with your GP costs nothing. The anonymous helplines are free. Money is rarely the reason not to start, although the own risk can add up over a longer treatment.
Always ask about interim support and put yourself on several waiting lists at once. Your GP can often start tapering in the meantime; you do not have to wait for specialised care. If you get stuck on waiting lists, that is exactly the pattern Zorgfuik documents.
Call the out-of-hours GP service (huisartsenpost) in your region, or register with a practice in your town. In an emergency, the huisartsenpost or the accident and emergency department is always reachable, even without registration. For non-urgent questions, use the national helplines listed above.
Yes. Emergency operators on 112 speak English. Many GPs and hospital staff speak English too, and you may ask for an interpreter. If a form or conversation is hard to follow, say so; that is not a weakness but information the care provider needs. Bring someone who speaks Dutch if you can.