Naloxone Training for the community/EMS

By PATSY STODDARD Editor

You can save a person from a drug overdose from an opiate. It’s very simple and effective. Members of the medical community as well as other concerned citizens met at the Four Corners Behavioral Health Building for the training. The Utah Naloxone project is a partnership with a number of organizations, they are providing training and Naloxone rescue kits throughout communities.
Jennifer Plumb and Sam Plumb a brother and sister team from the University of Utah take drug overdose very seriously. They lost their brother to a drug overdose and they say there isn’t a day that goes by they don’t think of him and remember him and wish he hadn’t died from drugs.
Dr. Plumb said there is an epidemic of opiate deaths in our communities in Utah. These overdose deaths affect everyone. When someone dies from a drug overdose, children, parents, friends, family, aunts, uncles, and community members are affected. “If a child loses their parent, then yes, it’s a big deal and will affect them the rest of their lives. In 1996 we lost our brother to a heroin death. We want to help other families to not go through what we’ve been through. We want to teach people how to use Naloxone. An opioid or opiate look the same, opiates are plant based and opioids are synthetic. Accidental overdoses kill more people than traffic accidents.
“They are entirely preventable. Drug poisoning kills more people than cars and firearms. There’s a real important message here. Utah is the fourth in the nation in overdose deaths, behind Kentucky, West Virginia and New Mexico. Nationwide the numbers are 12 deaths per 100,000 people. In the State of Utah, it’s 24 per 100,000. In Carbon, Emery and Grand it’s 50 per 100,000. These are epidemic proportions. Our drug deaths are above the rest of the United States.
Heroin overdose deaths have seen an upswing. Since 2010, the formula for oxycontin has changed so you can’t crush it out and inject it. This has forced some people to heroin. Doctors are also prescribing less. There’s been a 25 percent cut on prescriptions. The majority of people have gone from prescriptions to heroin. Drug deaths are killing more people than AIDS. In Utah one person a day is dying from a drug overdose.
“A lot of people losing their lives are people using an opioid that was prescribed to them. The people we are losing the most are 45-55 year old women, our moms, aunts, and friends. It’s not the typical face of those at risk.
“Another group at risk are the children. They are finding drugs and pills and accidentally taking them. At the ER we have seen four kids under 8 in one month that were overdosing; all received Naloxone and survived, but kids are impacted by all this.
“Get rid of all old prescriptions, don’t save them, don’t leave them lying around.
“Dependence on an opioid can develop in as little as seven days. These are all risky substances. All are a threat. Many of the people have got to this point with legitimate injuries. These substances are dangerous to put in your body,” said Dr. Plumb.
Sam Plumb warned of the dangers of the synthetic drugs and how they can be ordered on the internet.
Seven thousand opioid prescriptions are filled each day in Utah; 300 million prescriptions in 2015 were filled. One in 25 adults are receiving treatment for chronic pain with opioids.
More prescriptions have led to more death. Heroin deaths have nearly quadrupled. Heroin is a lot cheaper than the opioid pills. The number of deaths are massive and can’t be ignored. The number of women dying is up significantly. Heroin overdose is now considered an epidemic.
People need to get into treatment for their opioid addiction. The use of naloxone needs to be expanded to save lives. Naloxone has been very expensive but with the aid of concerned groups Naloxone is being distributed to as many people as possible to save lives. Naloxone works to keep people alive in an overdose situation until they can get medical help. Sometimes more than one dose of Naloxone is needed. It provides an opportunity for people to get better. It is not a controlled substance, it is non-addictive. It is not dangerous, it works quickly. It only works on opiates. It’s very safe, it cannot hurt them if they aren’t having an overdose, but another medical problem. In an overdose situation the neuro transmitters are overloaded and the victim stops breathing. Naloxone works to kick off or bind the receptors and gets them breathing again. Overdose is respiratory depression. Minutes are important when you’re getting them breathing again. That’s why the Naloxone kits must get out into the community. Forty-seven states have Naloxone laws. You can’t be held liable if you administer Naloxone and the victim dies anyway. Of the 152,283 kits distributed to date, there have been 26,243 reversals or lives saved.
Dr. Plumb addressed the question whether Naloxone promotes riskier use. She said the answer is no. Family members and friends administering the dose and begging the victim not to die has more effect on the victim than medical personnel treating the person.
With the Good Samaritan law you can call 911 and get people help without getting in trouble. Administer the Naloxone, buy the person some time and then get them to the emergency room. “We need to get it in as many hands as possible,” said Dr. Plumb. They want to get Naloxone in everywhere, schools included. Laws are being worked on so Naloxone can be distributed from behind the counter at pharmacies without a prescription. Currently a prescription is needed. In the Naloxone kits distributed this day, Dr. Plumb was the issuing physician. There is an intramuscular shot and a nasal spray. The shots are $40 for a kit. The nasal kits are $130-$150; Four Corners has a special price of $75 for the kits. Insurances will cover the cost of the kits. The kits are very user friendly. Smiths and Lins Pharmacy you can get the kits there without a prescription. For Veterans the kits are $9.
Someone could be having an overdose if they have a limp body and very pale face. Blue lips or fingertips, no response when you yell his name or rub his chest, slowed breathing or no breathing, making choking sounds or a gurgling snorting noise. The victim does not need to have all the symptoms. With an opioid overdose the pupils become very small. Do CPR on this person, get help coming and administer the Naloxone. With the muscle shot inject it into a large muscle, shoulder, thigh or buttocks. Victim may need a second dose, the victim could vomit, roll them on their side, make sure the Naloxone is stored where it is not too hot or too cold. There will be no effect on the victim if it is not an opiate overdose. If you have a Naloxone kit at home, let everyone know where it is. Dr. Plumb said she keeps one in her purse.
There are upswings in overdose deaths when someone with a history of substance abuse is released from prison or treatment or after they have been in supervised care. Remember that former addicts do relapse. “These lives matter, we are all skilled enough to save a life. We miss those people who have died, everyone who dies of an overdose is loved by someone. We want all police officers to have a kit.
“Utah is a bit of an anomaly, it is a low usage state, but high overdose. Some people don’t know how to ask for help. Sometimes drug cartels target an area and flood it with drugs, this has happened in Denver and Salt Lake,” said Dr. Plumb.
Boyd’s Pharmacy has kits and Westin Winn the pharmacist is working to be able to dispense them with him issuing the prescription.