Taking Naloxone where it matters

Afew years ago, Les Chandler walked into the hostel where he was living. A man lay motionless on the sofa in the communal area. His face had turned blueish, purple and he was making desperate choking sounds in his attempts to breathe. Staff were trying to resuscitate him, but it didn’t look good. Thankfully, Les had his naloxone kit in his pocket. He quickly administered the drug and the overdose symptoms stopped almost immediately. Without it, the man would almost certainly have died. Reflecting on the incident, Les is sombre: “If naloxone was around when I used to use drugs, it would have saved a lot of lives. A lot of people dropped dead next to me who easily could have been saved.” Naloxone is an opioid overdose reversal drug. It works by binding to opioid receptors in the brain, blocking the effect of opiates and rapidly reversing an overdose. It can be administered either through an injection or a nasal spray. It’s not an end in itself, people who have overdosed still need to be seen by emergency services, but it’s vital in keeping people alive until that point. <a href="https://medium.com/we-are-with-you/taking-naloxone-where-it-matters-abd8c125874b">Read More</a>