{"id":2505,"date":"2024-08-29T18:40:54","date_gmt":"2024-08-29T18:40:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.tcysapc.org\/?p=2505"},"modified":"2024-08-29T18:40:54","modified_gmt":"2024-08-29T18:40:54","slug":"most-americans-unsure-how-to-help-someone-in-opioid-overdose","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tcysapc.org\/?p=2505","title":{"rendered":"Most Americans Unsure How to Help Someone in Opioid Overdose"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"\"Many Americans still have no idea how to help an overdose.\u00a0 More than 3 of 4 people don\u2019t know how to help or know that a person in overdose should be administered an OD-reversing nasal spray, and the reversal drug is harmless if a person isn\u2019t suffering an OD.\u00a0 An estimated 293 people die from a drug overdose every day, making it the leading cause of accidental death in the United States, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.<\/p>\n

To administer naloxone: Shout at the suspected OD victim and shake his or her shoulder, to see if he or she can be roused — If they are not breathing, spray naloxone into their nostrils — Call 911 for follow-up medical care — Administer a second dose of naloxone if they don\u2019t respond to the first dose within a few minutes — Stay with the person until emergency help arrives<\/p>\n

More than 3 in 4 people (77%) said they would not know how to respond if they saw someone having an overdose, according to survey results<\/a> from Ohio State University.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile I’m not surprised about this result, I am deeply concerned because we know that the more of us who are prepared to save a life, the more lives we can save,\u201d said Dr. Trent Hall<\/a>, an addiction medicine physician at Ohio State.<\/p>\n

Overdose deaths have increased fourfold over the past two decades in the United States, Hall said.\u00a0 Two FDA-approved drugs are now available to reverse an overdose caused by opioids<\/a> like heroin or fentanyl, experts noted.\u00a0 Naloxone<\/a> and nalmefene, sold under the brand names Narcan and Opvee, are simple-to-use nasal sprays that block the effects of opioids on the brain and body.<\/p>\n

However, most people say they wouldn\u2019t be comfortable administering the drugs, the survey found.\u00a0 \u201cSome people tell me that they’re nervous or uncomfortable with the idea of using naloxone to save a life,\u201d Hall said in a university news release. \u201cBut there’s nothing more terrifying than being in the moment, seeing someone who’s having an overdose, and being powerless to help. Carrying naloxone empowers you to save a life in your community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Naloxone is available over the counter without a prescription, and also can be obtained for free from many community-based programs, researchers noted.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know that we’re losing more than 100,000 lives in the United States every year due to drug overdose,\u201d Hall said. \u201cNaloxone has saved countless lives across this country. We’ll really never know how many lives have been saved because so many overdoses go unreported.\u201d<\/p>\n

Naloxone should be administered if someone is unconscious, not breathing and unable to respond when gently shaken, experts said. If a person has passed out but isn’t suffering from an opioid OD, giving them naloxone will not cause them any harm.<\/p>\n

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, signs of an opioid overdose include:<\/p>\n