Naloxone is a nasal-spray overdose medication that can save an overdose victim by quickly reversing the effects of fentanyl, heroin and other opioids.
Doctors urge all people – especially those who have prescription opioids at home or a drug abuser at home – to keep naloxone in their first aid kits or even in their purses. Anyone can experience an opioid emergency, including young children who accidentally take the drugs.
Naloxone is sold under brand names such as Narcan and RiVive. It can be purchased online or at major pharmacies for between $30 and $45 a kit. Each kit contains two nasal spray applicators. Sometimes, multiple doses must be administered.
Many health departments and community groups offer tools, no questions asked. A web search for “free naloxone” returned hundreds of results.
Dr. Bonnie Milas, an intensive care anesthesiologist at the University of Pennsylvania, uses fentanyl in combination with other drugs to treat critical patients. He also lost two sons to an accidental fentanyl overdose. The face of the program of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, which offers video tutorials and other guidelines on how to use naloxone to revive an overdose victim.
Milas often speaks about his experiences with groups of people who have lost loved ones to fentanyl. “I tell them you shouldn't feel guilty or guilty,” she says. “They tried. You tried. And in the end, the results were out of your control… But you did your best. And I think you should really take comfort in knowing that you did what you could have done.
(By Maurice Tamman. Editing by Michael Williams)