Opiates comprise some of the drugs that can quickly form habit/ develop an addiction. The extreme ingestion of these drugs increases the risk of overdosing significantly. Opiates, among them being naloxone, heroin, morphine and most painkillers, suppress the central nervous system by attaching to the opioid receptors in the brain. The effects of opiates on the brain and the body comprise confusion, low heart rate and labored or non-existence breathing among others. The symptoms of an overdose comprise the accelerated version of these drugs' effects; loss of consciousness, as well as slow or no breathing.
The Use of Naloxone in Addiction Treatment
Naloxone is a synthetic opiate that is used to displace the molecules of other opiates from the brain's opioid receptors, in effect reversing the adverse effects of opiate use and overdose. As an opiate overdose treatment, naloxone is available in nasal spray and injectable forms. Any of these naloxone forms can be used on a patient who has overdosed if and when s/he is unconscious and not breathing. Calling out a person's name, checking his/ her pain response by rubbing knuckles on his/ her sternum or shaking him/ her comprise some of the techniques of checking a person's responsiveness.
Naloxone forms and dosages
Injectable
This naloxone comes in a package that comprises the liquid naloxone in a bottle, and syringe. A person who has overdosed should be injected with only 1CC of this naloxone directly into his/ her muscle at a ninety degrees angle. The person should start breathing and regain consciousness in 3-5 minutes after the treatment administration.
Nasal Spray
This naloxone comes in a package that contains a cartridge and a needleless syringe. The cartridge must be screwed onto the syringe's barrel, before introducing this drug into a person's nostrils. Half the contents of the cartridge (0.5CC) must be sprayed in the patient's nostril and the other half into the other nostril.
Naloxone can be used to treat opiate addiction and overdose. This is possible because it (naloxone) is also an opiate whose high affinity for attaching to the brain's opioid cells displaces other opiates. Thankfully, most outpatient services and pharmacies stock injectable and or nasal spray naloxone for quick access. Patients should regain consciousness within five minutes of naloxone administration. The process should be repeated if and when the first spray/ injection doesn't work within the five minutes.
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