Posted by azdrugrehabctr on November 12, 2015 under Addiction Trends, Opiate Abuse, Prescription Drugs | 
One high school is making headlines for its bold move against heroin overdoses. They have stockpiled Evzio, which is the brand name of a naloxone injection device used against heroin overdoses. School administrators will train their nursing staff to administer the medicine in the event that one of the students suffers from an overdose of heroin or other opiates. This precautionary measure was taken after the amount of students who abused heroin and pain pills skyrocketed. School officials determined that in order to provide a safe environment for their students they needed to have access to the life-saving medicine.
Naloxone reverses the effects of an opiate overdose by immediately counteracting it and throwing someone into withdrawal. It has become more widely used in emergency settings lately as the opiate addiction problem continues to get worse.
Instead of punishing addicts, many communities are pushing for treatment and proper medical attention. This change in viewpoint comes after more and more families throughout the country have experienced the devastating effects of opiate addiction and understand that punishment does not help as effectively as treatment.
Some people have denounced the increasing availability of naloxone, as they believe it just encourages addicts to continue using their drugs, but with less risk. However, there has been no evidence to support such a stance, and instead there have been many lives saved as a result of the medication being more widely available and used. The fact that schools are now starting to carry and administer the drug speaks volumes about the scope of the opiate problem and how necessary it is to combat it from all levels.
Posted by azdrugrehabctr on April 10, 2014 under Opiate Abuse |
A hand-held device, called Evzio, recently received approval from the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) and is expected to be available to the public this summer. The device is similar to an EpiPen used to stop allergic reactions, and is intended to be a life-saving treatment when administered during an overdose.
In a news release following approval, the FDA recommends that family members or caregivers become familiar with the instructions for use before administering Evzio. When the device is turned on, it gives verbal operating instructions to the user, similar to automated defibrillators that hang in public buildings.
The device is designed to deliver a single dose of the opioid overdose antidote, naloxone. The medication works by blocking the ability of heroin or opioid painkillers to attach to brain cells. The FDA notes that because naloxone may note work as long as opioids, repeat doses may be needed. The news release also states that users should seek immediate emergency medical care after administering the antidote.
“This is a big deal, and I hope it gets wide attention,” said Dr. Carl R. Sullivan III, Director of the Addictions Program at West Virginia University. “It’s pretty simple: Having these things in the hands of people around drug addicts just makes sense because you’re going to prevent unnecessary mortality.”
FDA officials say that they speedily approved the device in just 15 weeks because it is critical to prevent deaths by overdose, which have been on the rise despite the agency’s recent efforts. In the past year, the FDA has recommended tightening prescription practices and the changing of labeling requirements for opioid prescription drugs, although many experts believe these are just baby steps on the way to tackling the bigger issues.
“They’re plucking the low-lying fruit, but the hard things haven’t been done,” said Dr. Katz of Tufts University. FDA Commissioner, Dr. Margaret Hamburg, agrees with Dr. Katz’s suggestion to require doctors who prescribe highly addictive opioids to get training in how to do it properly. Such training is currently voluntary.
To address the concerns like those of Dr. Katz, Dr. Hamburg emphasized that “tackling the opioid epidemic is a high priority for the FDA,” according to the release. The FDA has made a point to be outspoken about it’s efforts to fight opioid abuse since receiving criticism last fall when it approved the powerful hydrocodone drug, Zohydro, against the advice of the expert panel.
Even though some are concerned that the existence of an overdose antidote will encourage drug users to be even more cavalier with their drug use, many are hopeful that the increased availability of the Evzio device will result in benefits that significantly outweigh the risks.
