⚠️ Someone who is snoring or making gurgling sounds and cannot be woken may be having an opioid overdose. Treat this as an emergency.
Call 112 now⚠️ Last officially confirmed via DRUGSinfo/Trimbos: 8 April 2026. Counterfeit oxycodone containing nitazenes is still circulating.
Read the warning →Being difficult to wake, slow or shallow breathing, not breathing, heavy snoring or gurgling and blue lips can indicate an opioid overdose. Do not wait until you know exactly what was taken.
Call 112 if someone is difficult to wake and is breathing slowly, shallowly, irregularly or not at all. Heavy snoring or gurgling in someone who does not respond can also be a warning sign.
Say that you suspect an opioid overdose and tell the dispatcher what may have been taken. Follow the emergency operator's instructions. If the person is not breathing, start resuscitation as instructed. If they are unconscious but breathing, place them in the recovery position. Stay with them until help arrives.
If naloxone is already available and you know how to use it, administer it according to its instructions. Always call 112 as well: naloxone works temporarily and strong synthetic opioids can require longer medical treatment.
Not every sign has to be present. A reduced level of consciousness together with abnormal breathing matters more than working out the exact dose.
The person is hard to wake, does not respond normally or becomes unconscious.
Breathing is shallow, slow, irregular or stops. Heavy snoring or gurgling can occur.
Lips or nails may turn blue or grey. Very small pupils and cold or clammy skin can also occur.
An unknown online pill is more unpredictable, but overdose is not limited to counterfeit pills.
At excessive doses, oxycodone can suppress breathing. Risk increases when it is combined with other depressant substances such as alcohol, GHB or benzodiazepines.
Use oxycodone as prescribed and ask a doctor or pharmacist about dose changes, side effects or combinations.
You cannot reliably know which substance or amount it contains. Counterfeit oxycodone tablets found in the Netherlands have contained nitazenes and no oxycodone. These substances can be much stronger, making overdose risk more unpredictable.
Naloxone temporarily blocks opioid effects and can restore breathing during an opioid overdose. Its effect is temporary. Nitazenes can last longer than naloxone, so breathing problems can return.
Use naloxone only if it is available and you know how to administer it according to its instructions. This page deliberately gives no dosing advice. Call 112 even if the person wakes up after naloxone.
There is no single amount that marks the limit for everyone. Risk depends on factors including the prescribed dose, formulation, other medicines or substances and the individual. If warning signs such as severe drowsiness and slow or shallow breathing occur, the symptoms matter more than the number: call 112.
Yes. Prescribed oxycodone can suppress breathing at excessive doses or in risky combinations. Use it as prescribed and discuss combinations and dose changes with a doctor or pharmacist.
Not if they are difficult or impossible to wake or are breathing abnormally. Heavy snoring or gurgling in someone who does not respond can be an emergency sign. Treat it as a possible overdose and call 112.
Naloxone can temporarily block opioid effects and is used for opioid overdose. It does not replace emergency care. Always call 112, even if the person improves after naloxone.
Do not use pills from an unknown source. Counterfeit pills containing nitazenes and no oxycodone have been found in the Netherlands. If such a pill has already been taken and severe drowsiness, reduced consciousness or breathing problems occur, call 112 immediately.
If there are no emergency signs now but you are worried about your dose, combinations, dependence or stopping, use the help page or speak to a doctor or pharmacist.