DETROIT – Using Narcan to help save the life of someone suffering from a drug overdose has gained wide public acceptance, but as effective as it can be, this rescue medication does have some important limitations.
While Narcan is readily available for the public to buy, it wasn’t always so accepted. At one time, there was a legitimate question about whether Narcan should be available outside a hospital.
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The idea of giving Narcan to nonmedical personnel was not always a popular idea.
“I think that speaks to the stigma that’s attached to opiate use disorder and people with substance use disorder in general,” said Dr. Jake Manteuffel, a Henry Ford Health Emergency Physician.
Manteuffel is board-certified in addiction medicine. It’s crucial to understand that in addition to people with a substance use disorder, anyone who is prescribed narcotics could fall victim to an unintentional overdose. There’s also the fact that even more dangerous synthetic opiates have made their way into illegal supplies.
“We’ve done another study locally and nationally that shows about 80% of all patients that have opiate use disorder actually have fentanyl in their urine, so even if they don’t think they’re using fentanyl, there probably is fentanyl in the substances that they’re using,” Manteuffel said.
That’s important since fentanyl is not easily reversed when Narcan is given nasally and it may not be as effective on the other side of the equation. Someone with a significant opioid dependence might see withdrawals when given Narcan.
“If somebody has opioid use disorder and you give them Narcan and it reverses their high or euphoria that they experiencing they will immediately go into potentially a withdrawal state,” Manteuffel said.
It’s less common with the nasal form of Narcan available outside and shouldn’t be a reason not to administer it, but it’s important to know.
Narcan only reverses the effect of an opiate in an overdose situation. If someone has overdosed on a different drug or a combination drug, the Narcan won’t be as effective.
If someone appears to have overdosed, do not overthink it. Give the Narcan. It is always worth trying. It’s also important to call 911 to make sure help is on the way.
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