Learn how to tell if someone has overdosed and when to administer Narcan (naloxone) nasal spray to reverse an overdose.
Hey everybody i’m michael miller i’m the opioid initiatives coordinator with jefferson county public health howdy i’m michael port hiv prevention and harm reduction specialist with jefferson county public health in 2017 we had at least 90 overdoses in the county as more people are being affected by opiate overdose jefferson county public health is taking more
Initiatives to save lives one of those initiatives which we’re here to talk to you about today is overdose reversal through the administration of naloxone or as it’s known by its brand name narcan naloxone is an opioid antagonist that temporarily reverses an opioid overdose it can be administered through nasal spray or through an injection it’s safe it’s easy to
Use and it has few side effects but before we teach you about how to actually administer naloxone there’s some general terms and concepts we need to understand first simply put opioid overdose is taking more illicit or prescribe opioids than the body can cope with it occurs when too many opioids attached to receptors in the brain causing breathing to slow to the
Point where is not adequate enough to sustain life without oxygen the person experiencing overdose will go unconscious and ultimately their heart will stop beating so some common signs of an overdose include non-responsiveness heavy nodding slow or irregular breaths or no breathing at all other symptoms can include like a gurgling sound slow erratic or a stopped
Pulse or the bullying of like fingertips or lips if you suspect someone is having an opioid overdose there are a few steps that you can take to keep that person alive this is veronica she is a program coordinator with americorps opioid response program she’s gonna be helping us demonstrate what an opioid overdose actually looks like if you’re around someone you
Suspect as having an overdose the first thing you’re gonna want to do is see if they actually respond now one of the best ways to do this is to use your knuckles and rub on their sternum right in the middle of their chest pretty hard don’t be worried about hurting them you want them to actually feel it and wake up if they you can also do that on their upper lip
With your knuckles just like this they don’t respond to that call out their name see if that works often times saying hey i’m gonna call 9-1-1 really loud will wake somebody up if that doesn’t work you can suspect they’re having an overdose you’re gonna want to call 9-1-1 first thing and then we’ll lay them on their back which will demonstrate here in a second
If a person is unable to respond please call 911 as soon as possible colorado’s good samaritan law protects people from legal liability if they act in an emergency situation to give aid to a person who is in a life-threatening emergency the law encourages people to offer emergency aid without fear of being prosecuted for legal liability or drug paraphernalia or
Possession after you call 9-1-1 put the person flat on their back make sure that their airway is clear of any blockages tilt their head back to open up their airway pinch their nose make a seal of your mouth over their mouth and give rescue breaths watch for the person’s chest to rise to ensure that they are receiving oxygen give rescue breath every five seconds
Once you start rescue breathing you will need to administer naloxone multiple doses of narcan may be needed to reverse the overdose to administer the nasal spray remove the product from the box insert the spray inside the nostril as far as possible and press the middle button until completely pushed in then remove from the nostril once narcan has been administered
Continue providing rescue breathing if the individual has still not been responsive after two to three minutes provide a second dose of naloxone in the opposite nostril and resumed rescue breathing until first responders arrived oh hey thanks for saving my life naloxone has a standing order in the state of colorado which means people don’t need to go to a doctor
To get a prescription and in order to get access to it you can simply go to a pharmacy and grab some naloxone the points west syringe access program at jefferson county public health provides free access to naloxone for people who might be at risk of overdose as well as many other harm reduction materials if you have any questions or concerns please reach out to
Jefferson county to get support jefferson county public health is dedicated to harm reduction meaning they will not judge you or try to pressure you into acting a certain way they simply want to give you the proper resources to stay safe opioid overdose is 100% preventable and in fact most people that end up reversing overdoses know the people that are overdosing
Or passing by them on the street so you have the power to save a life and thank you for taking the time with us today to learn how you could make that happen
Transcribed from video
How to save a life with Narcan (aka Naloxone) By Jefferson County Public Health