Parent group arms others to reverse overdose Oct 3, 2008
Kinzly and several other states are advocates of dispensing Naloxone, commonly called "Narcan," an opiate antagonist that can immediately stop the overdose by neutralizing the effect of the drug ... Narcan is not an addictive drug and will not cause harm if the patient is not suffering from a heroin overdose, he said ... "I am someone who is alive because of Narcan," Kinzly said. (New Britain Herald, CT)
Poison Center has all the answers Aug 21, 2008
The staffers reacted appopriately, prescribing Narcan and other measures. Good job, Bottei said. (Sioux City Journal, IO)
Taser stories differ widely Aug 8, 2008
Paramedics on the scene Tuesday night thought they were dealing with a drug overdose and treated Mr. Thomas accordingly with Narcan and epinephrine, Mr. Zappala said. He added that use of a Taser from a distance is a preferred approach to dealing with people experiencing excited delirium. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA)
An addict's life, saved twice May 25, 2008
Since January, four pilot programs have been training heroin addicts, their family, friends, and treatment providers how to spot an overdose and spray a dose of Narcan into a victim's nose ... 7 million in federal funds to 14 more organizations so they can prevent more overdoses using Narcan and other interventions ... To some, Narcan can sound like an enabler - a dubious chemical friend that provides a fast getaway. (Boston Globe)
Medics' job: "Some of what you see, you just couldn't make up" Apr 15, 2008
Medics dispense life-savings drugs such as dextrose for diabetics, nebulizers for asthmatics and Narcan for heroin addicts. They assess the extent of fractures and bullet wounds, chest pains and seizures, wheezing and shortness of breath. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Police issue warning after two heroin deaths on Cape Cod Nov 19, 2007
To combat the trend, state health authorities plan to start supplying addicts next month with kits containing two doses of a medication called Narcan that can reverse a potentially lethal overdose within minutes. State Public Health Commissioner John Auerbach has said the results of the Narcan program are so impressive that he wants to expand it to four areas of the state grappling with heroin epidemics. (Boston Globe)
Lifeline for addicts Nov 19, 2007
An antidote called Narcan can keep the drug from stopping the user's breathing, but it has to be administered within minutes of an overdose. That is why the state Department of Public Health plans to distribute doses of Narcan to addicts and to train them in its use ... But while Narcan has been in use in hospital emergency rooms for years, it has not been made widely available directly to addicts. (Boston Globe)
Mass. to hand out heroin overdose kits Nov 3, 2007
Each kit contains two doses of a medication called Narcan, which one addict can squirt up the nose of another addict who has overdosed ... We talk about availability, price, and potency of the drug, said Kevin Norton, president of CAB Health & Recovery Services, which will work with the state to provide Narcan in cities and towns on the North Shore ... Others said the distribution of Narcan encourages continued heroin use and delays entry into treatment. (MSNBC -- Health)
Addicts to receive overdose antidote Nov 2, 2007
State Public Health Commissioner John Auerbach, who introduced the Narcan program while leading Boston's health agency, said the results are so impressive that he wants to expand it to four areas of the state grappling with heroin epidemics ... But some substance abuse specialists criticize the distribution of Narcan to addicts, arguing that the practice encourages continued use and delays entry into treatment ... Some also question whether it is wise medically to have one addict squirting... (Boston Globe)
More of this story Aug 7, 2007
Paramedics injected the 31-year-old with Narcan, which works by blocking opiate receptor sites and reversing the toxic effects of an overdose, to bring him back to consciousness. Langan was charged with heroin possession. (Brockton Enterprise, MA)
Deadlier cheese’ peddled in Plano May 20, 2007
If they have only taken heroin and they get to the emergency room soon enough we could treat them with Narcan, Nazeer said. We don t really have an antidote for a Benadryl overdose or some of the other drugs they are mixing it with. (McKinney Courier-Gazette, TX)
Smith Idolized Monroe, Died Like Her Mar 27, 2007
"Perper said atropine, a drug used to aid in resuscitation, was found in Smith's bloodstream, and her body was still warm at the hospital, both signs that she had died not long before receiving emergency care.The medical examiner said he believed Smith had been given Narcan, a drug to counter the effects of an overdose. But that drug is not effective against chloral hydrate.Perper said that Smith could have been saved had she been hospitalized earlier in the week - when she fell ill and... (The Morning Star)
Firefighters use their own time to get certifief Mar 11, 2007
EMTs are allowed to do advanced first aid, but additional certification is needed to give Narcan to people who are suffering from overdoses, to start intravenous fluids for people who have been shot or stabbed or crushed in a car crash or begin administering medicine to people who are fluttering in and out of a diabetic swoon. "In one week we had four drug overdoses," Coutu said. (Pawtucket Times, RI)
AH: Doc in hot water Feb 16, 2007
When asked for his thoughts on why Narcan was administered to Anna Nicole by paramedics who treated her on the scene at the Hollywood, FL hotel where she was found unconscious, Dr. Sandeep said he was unaware of what she was on that would require that treatment. Since not seeing her since May I wouldnt want to speculate on what she could have taken, he said. (MSNBC -- News)
Parents arrested in tot’s overdose Feb 16, 2007
The child was treated with Narcan, an emergency drug used to prevent overdose deaths, and breathed through a tube for two days, the warrant affidavit says. Doctors diagnosed the child as having had a "respiratory arrest, secondary to oxycodone ingestion.". (New Haven Register, CT)
Nicole Smith a deadly joke online: call for DNA from corpse Feb 9, 2007
" Autopsy set An autopsy will be performed on the former Playboy Playmate tomorrow. Dr Joshua Perper, the medical examiner who will perform the autopsy, said if her death was from natural causes, the findings would likely be announced quickly. He cautioned, however, that definitive results could take weeks. "I am not a prophet, and I cannot tell you before the autopsy what I am going to find," he said. "Undoubtedly it will be found at the end of the day that drugs featured in her death as they... (Sydney Morning Herald)
Heroin additive sowing death Jan 28, 2007
Rescuers responding to a heroin overdose all carry Narcan, an intravenous solution containing naloxone hydrochloride ... Nelson said some addicts become irritable, even combative when brought back to consciousness, so emergency workers typically use only enough Narcan to stabilize them, but not wake them up, until they can be hospitalized. (Cape Cod Times, MA)
Heroin deaths on the rise Jan 15, 2007
State officials are also exploring the possibilities of expanding the use of the drug naloxone, also known as Narcan, which works to reverse overdoses, he said. Currently the drug can be administered only by paramedics, physicians, and a limited number of other medical professionals; officials are looking at ways to allow more access to the drug as another "possible option," said Botticelli. (Boston Globe -- Local)
