GC: n

S: WHO – https://www.who.int/publications-detail/9789241548816 (last access: 24 April 2020); MedlinePlus – https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/007480.htm (last access: 24 April 2020).

N: 1. 1700, “an excessive or too large dose”, from over- [from Old English ofer. ´Over´ and its Germanic relations were widely used as prefixes, and sometimes could be used with negative force.] + dose [from Old French dose (15c.) or directly from Medieval Latin dosis, from Greek dosis “a portion prescribed”, literally “a giving”, used by Galen and other Greek physicians to mean an amount of medicine] (n.).
2. The presence of a dangerously large dose of medicine or drug in the body.
3. Drug overdoses can be accidental or intentional. They occur when a person takes more than the medically recommended dose. However, some people may be more sensitive to certain medications, so the low (more dangerous) end of a drug may be toxic for them; a dose that is still within the range of acceptable medical use may be too much for their bodies to handle.

S: 1. OED – https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=overdose; https://www.etymonline.com/word/over; https://www.etymonline.com/word/dose (last access: 24 April 2020). 2. TERMIUM PLUS – https://www.btb.termiumplus.gc.ca/tpv2alpha/alpha-eng.html?lang=eng&i=1&srchtxt=overdose&codom2nd_wet=1#resultrecs (last access: 24 April 2020). 3. WebMD – https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/drug-overdose#1 (last access: 29 April 2020).

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CR: amphetamine, drug, drug addict, drug addiction, fentanyl, LSD, methylenedioxymethamphetamine