FENTANYL ANTIDOTE HOW TO
The kits are available by prescription, in at least 88 sites around the province, and come with training on how to administer the drug for the user, and their family or friends if possible. "These kits are very effective," said Buxton.Īt least 250 overdoses have been reversed in the province using the kits since they became available in 2012, she said - and that's just the number reported to officials. users can also get a take-home kit to have the antidote available when they need it. It works quickly, in as little as five minutes, and has a protective effect for 30 to 90 minutes after that, according to information from the provincial harm-reduction program.Īmbulance paramedics have naloxone to administer when they're called to a suspected overdose, but B.C. Naloxone works by binding to the same sites in the brain as opioid drugs like fenanyl do - but it has a tighter grasp, so it can kick the opioid drugs off the receptors once they already take effect. "Fentanyl is particularly toxic, and we really just need to get the message out, so people are aware," said Buxton.
The key is getting the antidote to users in time. The drug Naloxone, also known by the trade name Narcan, reverses those effects - restoring normal breathing and consciousness within three to five minutes of an injection, said Dr. Fentanyl deaths are a Canada-wide 'disaster'.Pink heroin laced with fentanyl blamed for 16 B.C.That's lead to a high number of overdoses - possibly 16 yesterday in Vancouver alone - where the drug slows or stops the user's breathing, possibly leading to brain damage or death. health officials say they have concerns people who hide their drug habits may have a hard time accessing the antidote.įentanyl is 50 to 100 times more toxic than morphine, and the overdose rates have spiked because some users are unaware they are taking it, or realize how strong its effects will be. An antidote to fentanyl, the potent opioid blamed for a rising number of overdose deaths, is available in a take-home kit, but B.C.
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