Every year thousands of people come close to death by overdose, but are saved by the overdose antidote – Narcan. Find out more about this “miracle drug” and how it works.
A sad reality of the time we live in is that almost everyone has been impacted by a fatal drug overdose in one way or another. Somewhere in the range of 43,000 Americans die of a drug overdose every year, which breaks down to about 120 people dying of an overdose every single day. That translates to thousands of people every day being impacted by a drug overdose: family, friends, coworkers, and more.
However, there is another reality of drug overdoses that is often overlooked – 32 people are successfully treated for a drug overdose for every person that is lost to one. The problem isn’t that nothing can be done to help people that overdose, it’s that they aren’t reached in time to help them. A drug that can help skew those overdose numbers lower is naloxone, also known as the overdose antidote, or by its name brand of Narcan.
Narcan is an opioid antagonist that reverses the effects of opioid-related drug overdoses. What that means is that Narcan is the go-to for overdoses to drugs like heroin, oxycodone, hydrocodone and morphine. Naloxone is not perfect in that it doesn’t work every single time, but its rate of success is nothing short of amazing with the added benefit of no negative side effects.
For 46 years, Narcan has been the standard for opioid overdose treatment. Recently, states have been adopting (or are in the process of adopting) new laws that permit the prescribing of naloxone to individuals, both within and outside of the healthcare community. The reality of opioid drug abuse is that it has become so widespread and common that without putting Narcan in the hands of people that are regularly in contact with those who are most likely to abuse drugs, overdoses will flourish. Not everyone can make it to the ER on time, so having Narcan readily available could save lives.
The expansion of who can possess and administer Naloxone legally is possibly the most significant step toward combating overdoses ever. It’s no solution to the overall drug problem, but it does allow many individuals the opportunity to live long enough to try to kick the habit. What each person does with that second chance, is up to them.