Naloxone can save lives but stigma prevents its use among newly admitted opioid users

Opioids are the main driver for deadly drug overdose in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, resulting in 46,802 deaths in 2018, mostly due to the person’s respiration.

Naloxone – a Food and Drug Administration-approved medication used to prevent overdose of opioids, such as heroin, morphine, and oxycodone – works by restoring normal relief for the person who is breathing pull or stop.

Overdose of opioid causes the highest number of accidental and preventable deaths. The human population of drug addicts is devastating. Using naloxone to prevent overeating can and has saved many lives. “

Peter Davidson, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego School of Medicine

In a study published March 23, 2021, an online edition of the International Journal of Drug Policy, Davidson and an international group of researchers, found that opioid users participating in a 12-step abstinence program and recently stopped using naloxone drugs home, even if they had it by hand which could save lives.

For the study, trained interviews visited areas known for high drug use in three counties in Southern California: San Diego, Orange and Ventura. Forty-four participants were asked questions about initiating drug use, excessive experiences, both themselves and their treatment and past.

“In our research, individuals who were new to opioid use believed that taking naloxone symbolically linked them to the identity of drug use they were trying to leave behind, said first author Jeanette Bowles, DrPH, who is now a postdoctoral fellow with the Center for Drug Policy Assessment in Toronto, Canada, but was a graduate associate of the UC San Diego School of Medicine at time of the inspection.

“Twelve-step programs promote abstinence through social behaviors that involve staying away from people, places and things that are thought to be linked to drug use. Naloxone was seen as something to do with their drug use and to go against these solemn behaviors and their goal of avoidance. “

To reduce the stigma associated with naloxone, researchers propose to rewrite the meaning of naloxone behavior to represent a commitment to the safety of the body and the well-being of those “still suffering”. ”And reinstate naloxone training programs in the treatment of substance use disorder conditions as“ first aid overdose. “

In addition, researchers recommend focusing on the potential life-saving effect of those who are trained to administer naloxone on their peers, and relapsing. -focus naloxone circulation efforts to include people at any stage of their drug use, including abstinence.

“It is very important that people realize that, after periods of maturation, the body will become less tolerant if a person reacts to drug use, making them more physically vulnerable to overdose and death,” said Davidson. corresponding author and lead investigator. ”If someone is experiencing opioid overdose, it is important to recognize the signs and respond quickly to prevent death. “

In the United States, laws now allow people to access and use naloxone to respond to hypertension with protection from liability.

UC San Diego Health’s Addiction Rehabilitation and Treatment Program provides outpatient behavioral treatment for the use of substances, such as cannabis, alcohol, and opioids.