(May 5, 2016) Looking for new ways to address the spread of illegal opioid use, which, has contributed to an increase in heroin and other opioid overdoses, the Worcester County Health Department recently began conducting a series of classes on how to administer the life-saving drug, Naloxone.
Kim Poole, a behavioral health and addictions program worker with the Worcester County Health Department, explained the process during a training session at the Ocean Pines Library last Wednesday.
She said overdose-related fatalities have surpassed motor vehicle accidents as the leading cause of “injury-related accidental death” in the U.S., averaging 105 each day.
Naloxone is used to treat those overdoses by reversing the effects of using harmful amounts of opioids.
“The opiate receptors in the body have a higher affinity [for naloxone]. They love naloxone more than they love heroin,” she said. “Basically, heroin is going to get knocked off the receptors and the naloxone is going to take hold, so it’s going to then reverse the overdose situation.”
Opioids can reattach, however, meaning repeated naloxone doses may have to be given.
“The person can then go downhill again. That’s why it’s important to stay with someone, and to have that second dose available,” she said.
Poole said overdoses occur when an excessive amount of an opioid – alone or mixed with another substance – overwhelms the body and shuts down the respiratory system.
“They’re not moving oxygen around in the body … and this is going to affect all of the vital organs,” she said. “Brain damage, without oxygen, can occur in as little as four-to-six minutes. That’s why it’s so important to act quickly.”
Signs of an overdose can include shallow breathing or loud snoring or gurgling noises, the body becoming limp or unresponsive, or pale, gray or clammy skin – or lips and fingertips that turn blue – from decreased circulation.
If someone is overdosing from an opioid, Poole said a person should try to rouse and stimulate him or her by shaking their shoulders and yelling until they regain consciousness. Next, call 911 and tell the operator where you are, what you observed about the person, what substance the person used and – if you have given them naloxone – how much the dose was.
Further resuscitation and rescue breathing could also be required.
Poole said that naloxone is safe for children and pregnant women and has no potential for abuse.
She said the nasal version – several that work through injection are also available, but are generally more expensive – works in about one-to-three minutes. If breathing is not restored in two-to-three minutes, it’s time for a second dose.
Stay with the person until the EMS arrives, and follow the 911 dispatcher’s instructions, she said.
“They’re very good at walking you through it if you’re feeling panicked,” Poole said. “You don’t want to give up. You want to keep on going until either 911 gets there, or they start to wake up.”
Naloxone training classes are held every fourth Wednesday at the Ocean Pines Library, and every second and fourth Friday of the month at the Snow Hill Health Department. Additional classes can be arranged by request.
The sessions include demonstrations with a mannequin, and finish with a naloxone certification, and a free voucher for the drug.
Poole said the meetings were informal, and did not require a test to pass.
“Everyone is here for a different reason – we’re just glad you’re here,” she said. “With the health department, we’re about prevention, but there’s also the side of the addict. The addict is living with this every day and using, and the addict gets to a point where they decide whatever it is that’s going to make them seek treatment and go into recovery.
“It’s different for every person, and until that happens, what can you do? We can make sure that we’re trained in order to be able to give naloxone when it’s necessary, to maybe help save that person’s life … so that they may then have a chance to actually turn their life around,” Poole added.
For more information, or to register, call 410-213-0202.
Kim Poole, a behavioral health and addictions program worker with the Worcester County Health Department, explained the process during a training session at the Ocean Pines Library last Wednesday.
She said overdose-related fatalities have surpassed motor vehicle accidents as the leading cause of “injury-related accidental death” in the U.S., averaging 105 each day.
Naloxone is used to treat those overdoses by reversing the effects of using harmful amounts of opioids.
“The opiate receptors in the body have a higher affinity [for naloxone]. They love naloxone more than they love heroin,” she said. “Basically, heroin is going to get knocked off the receptors and the naloxone is going to take hold, so it’s going to then reverse the overdose situation.”
Opioids can reattach, however, meaning repeated naloxone doses may have to be given.
“The person can then go downhill again. That’s why it’s important to stay with someone, and to have that second dose available,” she said.
Poole said overdoses occur when an excessive amount of an opioid – alone or mixed with another substance – overwhelms the body and shuts down the respiratory system.
“They’re not moving oxygen around in the body … and this is going to affect all of the vital organs,” she said. “Brain damage, without oxygen, can occur in as little as four-to-six minutes. That’s why it’s so important to act quickly.”
Signs of an overdose can include shallow breathing or loud snoring or gurgling noises, the body becoming limp or unresponsive, or pale, gray or clammy skin – or lips and fingertips that turn blue – from decreased circulation.
If someone is overdosing from an opioid, Poole said a person should try to rouse and stimulate him or her by shaking their shoulders and yelling until they regain consciousness. Next, call 911 and tell the operator where you are, what you observed about the person, what substance the person used and – if you have given them naloxone – how much the dose was.
Further resuscitation and rescue breathing could also be required.
Poole said that naloxone is safe for children and pregnant women and has no potential for abuse.
She said the nasal version – several that work through injection are also available, but are generally more expensive – works in about one-to-three minutes. If breathing is not restored in two-to-three minutes, it’s time for a second dose.
Stay with the person until the EMS arrives, and follow the 911 dispatcher’s instructions, she said.
“They’re very good at walking you through it if you’re feeling panicked,” Poole said. “You don’t want to give up. You want to keep on going until either 911 gets there, or they start to wake up.”
Naloxone training classes are held every fourth Wednesday at the Ocean Pines Library, and every second and fourth Friday of the month at the Snow Hill Health Department. Additional classes can be arranged by request.
The sessions include demonstrations with a mannequin, and finish with a naloxone certification, and a free voucher for the drug.
Poole said the meetings were informal, and did not require a test to pass.
“Everyone is here for a different reason – we’re just glad you’re here,” she said. “With the health department, we’re about prevention, but there’s also the side of the addict. The addict is living with this every day and using, and the addict gets to a point where they decide whatever it is that’s going to make them seek treatment and go into recovery.
“It’s different for every person, and until that happens, what can you do? We can make sure that we’re trained in order to be able to give naloxone when it’s necessary, to maybe help save that person’s life … so that they may then have a chance to actually turn their life around,” Poole added.
For more information, or to register, call 410-213-0202.