Opioids are our other epidemic, but keeping naloxone on hand could save lives in Idaho

Last year, America suffered more drug overdose deaths than ever before. Opioids including hydrocodone, oxycodone, fentanyl and heroin caused over half of those overdoses. According to the CDC, 136 Americans die from an opioid overdose every day. Since media coverage over the last two years has been so focused on COVID-19, the other epidemic plaguing our nation can easily get overlooked. The opioid epidemic has recently worsened both nationally and in our Idaho hometowns. However, we now have the technology to end this ongoing crisis — thanks to the expanding availability of the life-saving nasal spray called naloxone.

Naloxone products are commercially available as both a 4mg nasal spray (Narcan) and an 8 mg nasal spray (Kloxxado). Naloxone is a medication that reverses opioid overdoses. An overdose is a life-threatening brain injury that occurs when there is not enough oxygen getting to the brain. This happens when opioids slow down the breathing rates of overdose victims until they eventually stop breathing altogether. When naloxone is administered to an unresponsive overdose victim, it immediately starts blocking the opioids from their binding sites in the brain. These actions quickly restore the victim’s breathing and reverse the overdose. More often than not, these overdoses are unintentional, and they can happen to anyone who takes an opioid at any time.

It’s impossible to overstate the importance of having access to an overdose-reversal agent, even for individuals who do not take any medications. It can be helpful to think of this analogy: Keeping naloxone on hand is like keeping a fire extinguisher in your home. We own fire extinguishers hoping that we will never need to use them. However, we will be beyond grateful to have one handy if a fire ever happens to start.

Idaho community pharmacists have the ability to prescribe and dispense naloxone products to anyone who requests them — no questions asked. While this is a step in the right direction, Idaho’s opioid prescribing rates are still above the national average. The CDC reports that in 2019, about 62 opioid prescriptions were dispensed for every 100 people in Idaho. Because these drugs are so prevalent in our area, let’s normalize the idea of every Idahoan carrying naloxone.

Naloxone nasal spray is easy and safe to use on anyone. If an individual has opioids in their system, giving them naloxone will restore their breathing. If an individual does not have opioids in their system, giving them naloxone will not cause them any harm. Individuals who administer naloxone in good faith will be protected under Good Samaritan laws in Idaho, which will prevent civil, administrative or criminal prosecution.

Keeping naloxone products on hand will give you the power to save someone’s life. Owning naloxone is not a hardship. It is small and easy to carry. It is widely available and offered for free by many organizations. If our community uses naloxone to its full potential, we can greatly reduce the number of Idahoans we lose to this epidemic. Who could you save with naloxone?

To learn more about how you can save lives using naloxone, visit www.getnaloxonenow.org.

To request a free naloxone kit visit www.idahoharmreductionproject.org/community-naloxone-distribution.