Narcan

Since I wrote my sophomoric post as a primer on heroin, I thought I might follow it up with some information on a great tool that exists to help combat opioid related fatalities.

Naloxone, which goes by the trade names of Narcan ™ and Evzio ™, has been on the scene for decades now. First approved for use in the early 70’s it has since proven a strong ally for emergency medical professionals, first responders, and even lay-people. Its cheap, widely available, and amazingly effective. Check out this over dramatized yet still surprisingly accurate use of Narcan from the film "Bringing Out The Dead"

Originally available as only an injection, its use was reserved for professional use. In recent years the drug has become available as an auto-injector (much like the EPI-pen) and also as a nasal spray. While it remains available only by prescription in the US, these new forms of the drug have enhanced availability to the general population. Application of the nasal spray Narcan has been proven effective even by minimally trained civilians. There are now programs that exist where parents of at risk youth can be trained and supplied with Narcan should the unthinkable occur. If you yourself are at risk, you can be prescribed Narcan and trained by your doctor. However if this is the situation you would never be able to self-administer if you did in fact overdose. That is why it is so important to make your friends and family aware that you have it, and how to use it. If you check the comments on my heroin[insert link] post you will see some good information on the community aspect of addiction. No one is an island and you can’t fight this alone.

Naloxone is an amazing drug. I’ve personally witnessed its use countless times and it never fails to impress. Opioid drugs bind to - aptly named- opioid receptors in the brain. These receptors are found all over the brain and are majorly involved with pain receptors in the central nervous system. This also means they are found abundantly in regions that regulate breathing and heart rate. High concentrations of opioids will depress the breathing rate to the point where all breathing ceases. Oxygen is important and you have less than 10 minutes without it before permanent brain damage sets in, and then of course death. But because of its ease of use Narcan spray has been widely distributed to all levels of first responders. This is especially important for police, since they are typically the first to arrive at such a scene. The quick administration of Narcan can be the difference between life and death.

Doesn’t something this amazing have to come at a cost? Isn’t it dangerous for lay-people to be administering drugs? Can you really the average person can’t be expected to positively identify an opioid overdose? Amazingly enough the answer to all of these seems to be no! Narcan is not a toy. But the benefits far far outweigh any risk when it comes to a possible opioid overdose. There are virtually no side effects (aside from entering withdrawals). Narcan also has no effect on the patient if they are not overdosing. Narcan starts to work in about 3-5 minutes, and can be re-administered every 2 minutes should the dose be insufficient to elevate breathing to normal levels. Narcan only lasts about 30 minutes, so should the patient begin to re-overdose additional administrations can be made.
Aside from all of this, Naloxone and its variants are not a magic wand. They alone cannot cure an addict, nor is that what they are intended to do. At best, being Narcan’d is a second chance. A wake up call that may not come again. Talk to your doctor about it. Talk to your friends and family. Addiction is a community issue and can only be fixed with community.

Helpful Links

Narcan Drug Info
https://www.drugs.com/cdi/narcan.html

Narcan FAQ
http://www.narcan.com/faqs

OTC Avaliability
http://havenhelps.com/blog/97-narcan-available-over-the-counter