U.S. Surgeon General Jerome M. Adams, M.D., M.P.H., is urging more Americans to carry a lifesaving medication that can temporarily reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. Although you may not work in an area of public health directly related to opioid use disorder, the current opioid crisis is widespread and we can all play a role in reducing the impact in our communities. I hope you will review the information below and consider how you or those in your networks may be able to use it to increase understanding and knowledge of naloxone.
The medication, naloxone, is already carried by many first responders, such as EMTs and police officers. The Surgeon General is now recommending that more individuals, including family, friends and those who are personally at risk for an opioid overdose, also keep the drug on hand.
An estimated 2.1 million people in the U.S. struggle with an opioid use disorder. Rates of opioid overdose deaths are rapidly increasing. Since 2010, the number of opioid overdose deaths has doubled from more than 21,000 to more than 42,000 in 2016, with the sharpest increase occurring among deaths related to illicitly made fentanyl and fentanyl analogs (synthetic opioids).
Opioids are a class of drugs that include medications, such as oxycodone, hydrocodone and methadone, which are commonly prescribed to treat pain. Pharmaceutical fentanyl is a synthetic opioid which is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine. It is approved for treating severe pain, typically post-surgical or advanced cancer pain. However, most recent cases of fentanyl-related harms are a result of illicitly made fentanyl. Naloxone, an FDA-approved medication that can be delivered via nasal mist or injection, is not a long-term solution, but it can temporarily suspend the effects of the overdose until emergency responders arrive.
The Surgeon General’s Advisory on Naloxone and Opioid Overdose is part of the ongoing effort to respond to the sharp increase in drug overdose deaths.
For more information about the Surgeon General’s Advisory on Naloxone and Opioid Overdose, visit www.surgeongeneral.gov to read more.
