Opioid antidote can save lives
Last week, Rock Hill police were equipped with Naloxone, an antidote that blocks the effects of opioids and reverses the effects of an overdose. On Friday, an officer used the drug to save the life of an unconscious woman who apparently had OD’d.
Putting this valuable drug in the hands of more first responders clearly is a good idea.
Area emergency medical personnel have been carrying Naloxone, which goes by the brand name of Narcan, since the 1970s. Now, all Rock Hill patrol officers have been equipped with the fast-acting antidote.
The reason officers will be carrying Naloxone is a sad one. The nation is in the middle of a growing heroin epidemic, and York County and Rock Hill are not immune. Drug-overdose deaths have increased in York County from 28 in 2011 to 42 in 2015. Heroin-related deaths increased from zero in 2011 to nine in 2015.
More than 3,000 accidental overdose deaths were recorded nationwide last year. More than a third of those deaths were attributed to fentanyl, the synthetic opiate that caused the death of singer Prince in April.
This epidemic stems in part from the misuse of highly addictive prescription opiates such as hydrocodone. Once users are unable to obtain prescription opiates, they often turn to heroin or fentanyl, which are much less expensive on the black market.
Naloxone can can be injected or administered in a nasal spray. Rock Hill police are using the nasal spray, which costs about $75 for two doses compared to $3,800 apiece for Epi-Pens containing the drug.
The expense is covered by a grant from the Law Enforcement Officer Naloxone program. The grant also covers the cost of replacing doses after they are used.
As Officer Mitchell Robinson demonstrated last week, this was a good investment. When he found a woman unconscious inside a store restroom Friday with needle caps nearby and track marks on her arm, he used Naloxone to revive her and keep her alive until EMS personnel could take over.
One important point: There are no adverse side effects to Naloxone. Even if an officer is unsure whether someone has overdosed or not, he can administer Naloxone with no harm done.
This antidote does little to solve the problem of opiate abuse. But, significantly, it has the capacity to save lives – and give addicts another chance to kick their reliance on drugs.
We think adding police to the group of first responders carrying Naloxone is eminently sensible. In fact, we hope those battling the heroin epidemic will find a way to make Naloxone accessible to the public, including friends and relatives of addicts, and even addicts themselves.
Some might object, arguing that this could encourage more people to abuse opiates. But we think saving lives is a more important consideration.
Addicts can’t kick their habit if they’re dead. Naxolone can give them another chance to get clean.
This story was originally published October 12, 2016 at 5:50 PM with the headline "Opioid antidote can save lives."