Overdose drug helping local first responders save more lives
Heroin was on the verge of claiming another local life.
Firefighters heard the siren of the responding ambulance in the distance, but weren't sure the boy could survive until the paramedics got there. They administered the opioid reversal drug naloxone, reviving the boy almost immediately.
"That's kind of a wonder drug. He wakes up and is mad the fire crews ruined his high. That young man was advised he was three minutes away from leaving this earth,"
If the heroin overdose occurred weeks earlier, the outcome might have been different.
The city's firefighters and police officers had just finishing training on the use of naloxone, which city paramedics had aboard ambulances for decades.
A 2014 state law change aimed at reducing drug overdose fatalities allowed police and firefighters to also carry and administer naloxone, commonly referred to as the popular brand name, Narcan. The drug's sole purpose is to reverse the effects that opioids have on the brain and respiratory system -- from the street drug heroin to legal pharmaceuticals like OxyContin. And it usually does the job fast.
Now, just about anybody could obtain this antidote, which Delaney said costs about
"The standing order is a prescription written for the general public, rather than specifically for an individual ..." said
There were 68 fatal drug overdoses in the county in 2014 and 2015, though some suspected overdoses from last year are still pending an official ruling, his secretary said.
"The definitive answer is we did not see a decline in the rate of drug overdoses. We have not seen it at all," Lisman said. "There was a period around Christmas time when we were sending out a coroner every day for drug overdoses."
Doctor: Families of addicts must get naloxone
Anyone close to someone with an opioid addiction should have access to naloxone, said Dr.
"It should be in the household. Loved ones should know how to use it," Friedman said.
The state
Most people think only of the illegal drug heroin when they hear about opioid overdoses, but people also overdose and die from abusing legal opioids prescribed by doctors, which include Fentanyl, Methadone, Morphine, OxyContin, Percocet and Vicodin, Friedman said.
An overdose on any of those drugs leads to respiratory depression and potentially death if the person stops breathing, Friedman explained.
"You literally have minutes to save a life," Friedman said.
Once ingested, naloxone quickly attacks those drugs.
"All those receptors are getting flooded with the pain medication. Naloxone is an antagonist. It's a competitive antagonist. It reverses the effects immediately. It knocks all the pain killers off and dislodges them," Friedman explained. "It's a highly effective antidote to a poison. It's a wonderful tool, but it doesn't treat the disease of addiction. It only treats the symptom. The overdose is an underlying symptom of addiction."
Naloxone has long been available in ambulances and emergency rooms, but it's slowly been added to the front lines of the battle against overdoses, he said. The average beat cop or the mother of a heroin addict now can carry the antidote, which comes in two varieties -- the traditional injector or a newer nasal spray version.
Everyone being discharged from
"The prescription is not only for their usage, but their family. Patients may relapse after treatment and start using. It's not an uncommon occurrence for parents to walk in on their son or daughter in the bathroom, using and unresponsive," Friedman said.
Herion addict: Naloxone saved me three times
A
Like being trapped in a recurring nightmare, the
"It's insane," he said. "Your thought instantly is, 'I gotta get out of here and go get high -- right now.'"
Now 30 years old, the man has been doing heroin for almost half his life. But, he said, even veteran users can't gauge whether a shot of the same heroin and same amount will send them past the fine line separating euphoria from a possible fatal overdose.
His experiences with naloxone all happened before the state law change. If naloxone had been on hand, he said he could have saved himself the expensive emergency room trips, and his friends could have avoided the arduous task of getting their 365-plus-pound friend to the hospital before he died.
"(Naloxone) has to be everywhere," he said. "Pharmacies need to carry it, cops need to carry it, ambulances need to carry it. That's how it has to be because, you know what, the opiate epidemic is so bad and could get a lot worse."
Saving lives
The most recent use was
"We're in the life-saving business and we're confident we've saved lives with this program," Delaney said.
Often times, the people are combative and unappreciative because they are not aware of what just happened, he said. Frequently, he said, they want to leave the scene to avoid any contact with police.
Firefighters and paramedics are trained to recommended they seek medical attention, but can't force them if they appear alert and not a danger to themselves, the chief noted.
"We just saved your life with this. You need additional care and you need to speak to someone about your addiction," Delaney said, reiterating the message they deliver to the drug users. "There's no doubt we're saving lives. The bigger picture is for them to get some type of counseling so it doesn't happen again. In my opinion, that is as big a part of the equation as administering the naloxone. That combats the problems further."
Delaney, who also is a certified paramedic, said the city's firefighters -- who often get to emergency scenes before paramedics -- have embraced the added mission.
"If you know people who have addictions, you can appreciate what we are trying to do here." Delaney said. "Our firefighters already do a lot, but I will say this, they have taken this program and treated it just the same as if they were going to save someone from a fire. They recognize the life-saving value that this drug has on people. And they really have used it to the best of their ability to save lives."
The city started out with 60 doses donated by one of the naloxone manufacturers and split the supply between the police and fire departments. Later in the year, as the supply dwindled,
"We're glad we are able to provide this because we, as a community, are aware of the severity of the drug problem,"
At the time of the donation in October, officials said 423 opioid overdose patients had been treated at
The hospital's parent company,
Geisinger's
Trooper
"We have it in each patrol car. Everybody is trained with it, but we haven't used it yet," Kelly said.
Counselor: Naloxone give addicts second chance
"These are human beings who have a drug and alcohol problem. As a result, they accidentally overdosed. This gives them a second chance at life," Donahue said.
Donahue, in the drug and alcohol counseling field since 1981, said there is a stigma attached to people addicted to drugs. But it's lessening because addiction affects so many families -- or one in four, he said.
Many of those people get addicted to prescription drugs, which are often stronger and more accessible than illegal drugs, Donahue pointed out.
"That's what a lot of people don't realize," Donahue said.
Donahue recently organized a training session at
In the discussions about increasing the availability of naloxone outside the traditional medical-only settings, some wondered whether it could actually encourage addicts and lessen their fears of death.
"There isn't a debate to me. This gets people a chance to get cleaned up and get sober," Donahue said.
Cops, bystanders granted immunity
A "Good Samaritan" provision of the Act 139 law regarding naloxone granted immunity against criminal charges to those present at overdoses who notify authorities. The shield from charges is aimed at encouraging people to call 911 and remain at the scene if someone overdoses.
Additionally, the law granted immunity against civil lawsuits to emergency responders who use naloxone on someone suspected of an overdose.
In the fall, Luzerne County First Assistant District Attorney
"We keep asking our police to do more and more. They're put in the most dangerous of situations, asked to make judgment calls under extreme stress, and then often times get sued for it," Sanguedolce said. "This was piling on more responsibilities."
It was good to hear officers can't be sued for using naloxone and that administering naloxone to someone who doesn't need it is not harmful to them, Sanguedolce said.
Additionally, officers like the fact that the newer nasal spray version of naloxone doesn't involve jabbing someone with a needle, he said.
"It's now a lot easier to administer with less risk," Sanguedolce said.
[email protected], 570-821-2055
@cvbobkal
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