Naloxone: a New 1st Aid Kit Item

[qwazse]

So, our state is trying to get overdose recovery kits to likely responders ...

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“We are at a critical crossroads in combatting the opioid epidemic in Pennsylvania,” said Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs Secretary Jen Smith. “We have a choice to accept overdoses and the disease of addiction as the new normal or to fight back. I choose to fight. We simply cannot get an individual the help they desperately need following an overdose if they are dead. I hope that all Pennsylvanians use the naloxone distribution days to proactively take action to save our loved ones.”

...

In addition to being able to get naloxone for free on September 18 and 25, it is carried at most pharmacies across the state year-round. Naloxone is available to many with public and private insurance at pharmacies either for free or at a low cost.

Additional information on Stop Overdoses Week and naloxone can be found on the state’s website at www.pa.gov/opioids us on FacebookOpens In A New Window and TwitterOpens In A New Window.

Is this the new "epi- pen" that scouts should be prepared to use?

Edited September 21, 2019 by RememberSchiff
title spelling

[yknot]

No, the epi pen is for anaphylactic reactions. Naloxone is used to save people who have OD'd on an opioid substance. 

[malraux]

18 minutes ago, qwazse said:

So, our state is trying to get overdose recovery kits to likely responders ...

Is this the new "epi- pen" that scouts should be prepared to use?

Its not a bad idea for scouts to learn to use it, and to recognize the signs of when to. 

[Saltface]

7 minutes ago, malraux said:

Its not a bad idea for scouts to learn to use it, and to recognize the signs of when to. 

And to know what to do when it kicks in. Most drug abusers aren't too happy when you ruin their fix.

[mds3d]

1 hour ago, Saltface said:

And to know what to do when it kicks in. Most drug abusers aren't too happy when you ruin their fix.

The naloxone kits provided to lay personnel, is rarely a high enough dose for "full reversal" of the kind of dose that a drug addict would use. However, it is likely that first responders to an overdose will also need to be prepared to perform CPR, or at least administer rescue breaths.  Most of the time, the naloxone doesn't last as long as the effect of an opioid.

1 hour ago, yknot said:

No, the epi pen is for anaphylactic reactions. Naloxone is used to save people who have OD'd on an opioid substance. 

I don't think anyone was confused about the use of naloxone, but the question if this is part of an advanced first aid kit or not.

 

My two cents amounts to this is a decent addition to an camp/troop first aid kit.  If you aren't carrying something backpack/dufflebag sized, then you probably have other things that could use that space.  In most cases, appropriate CPR/Rescue breaths can suffice until more advanced help arrives. 

[Treflienne]

5 hours ago, qwazse said:

Is this the new "epi- pen" that scouts should be prepared to use?

 

3 hours ago, mds3d said:

I don't think anyone was confused about the use of naloxone, but the question if this is part of an advanced first aid kit or not.

When I first saw a photo of an Evzio Naloxone auto-injector, at first glance I thought it was an Auvi-Q (epinephrine auto-injector) until I realized that the color and wording are wrong.  Both share the same really distinctive shape.  Scary, really.  If you are having an anaphylactic reaction, you don't want somebody to grab the wrong auto-injector.  On the plus side,  having a device that talks someone through how to inject it seems like a good thing.

According to https://www.businessinsider.com/price-of-naloxone-auto-injector-evzio-2017-2

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The Auvi-Q and Evzio use the same auto-injector technology to deliver their respective emergency medications.

 

 

[qwazse]

On 9/20/2019 at 11:05 PM, Treflienne said:

When I first saw a photo of an Evzio Naloxone auto-injector, at first glance I thought it was an Auvi-Q (epinephrine auto-injector) until I realized that the color and wording are wrong.  Both share the same really distinctive shape.  Scary, really.  If you are having an anaphylactic reaction, you don't want somebody to grab the wrong auto-injector.  ...

So, the labeling of injector-type tools needs work. I suspect more of them for diverse needs will roll out as time goes on, and there will need to be international symbols for each type of emergency injection. Then, we need to train scouts on reading the symbols, identifying the conditions, and applying the treatment. (This is nothing new, by they way. It wasn't that long ago since we all had to add universal precautions to our kits.)

I guess the "holy grail" of emergency drug delivery systems would be a device that first samples the subject to determine what's needed then deploy the appropriate drug. The system would then need to be returned to an apothecary for sanitizing and replacing spent capsules. (Although, based on my experience at Jamboree, the device could just put out a beacon and have a drone retrieve it in exchange for a fully-stocked device.) Let's put our STEM scouts on that one!

[mrkstvns]

On 9/20/2019 at 6:13 PM, mds3d said:

I don't think anyone was confused about the use of naloxone, but the question if this is part of an advanced first aid kit or not.

This is not something I would stock in a first aid kit.  

I think the likelihood of scouts or scouters being opioid abusers is (thankfully) low, and the naloxone is best left to real emergency response personnel who are trained to recognize the symptoms and use.

Our troop's "first" aid kit is already overstocked. It's more like a well equipped hospital pharmacy than a first aid kit. Except that it's chock full of outdated things we never needed (and really never should have had).  But some adults just can't help but get carried away by the "be prepared" slogan.....oh my Gosh!  What if?  What if?  What if?

The only injectable I think has a place in any troop first aid kit might be an epi-pen *IF* a member of the unit is identified as having significant food allergies. About 2% of the population under age 18 do have food allergies, so the chance of that affecting a good size troop is not insignificant.

Youth with juvenile diabetes are a different matter --- they may require regular insulin injections, but they will carry their own insulin and they are trained to self-inject. 

Opioid overdoses?  No, that's not an "emergency" that we should be prepared to deal with in the backcountry, so for practical reasons, I say "ix-nay on the aloxone-nay".

Think about real risks, not every possible risk that could ever in a gazillion years possibly, maybe happen...

[mds3d]

3 hours ago, mrkstvns said:

This is not something I would stock in a first aid kit.  

I think the likelihood of scouts or scouters being opioid abusers is (thankfully) low, and the naloxone is best left to real emergency response personnel who are trained to recognize the symptoms and use.

Our troop's "first" aid kit is already overstocked. It's more like a well equipped hospital pharmacy than a first aid kit. Except that it's chock full of outdated things we never needed (and really never should have had).  But some adults just can't help but get carried away by the "be prepared" slogan.....oh my Gosh!  What if?  What if?  What if?

The only injectable I think has a place in any troop first aid kit might be an epi-pen *IF* a member of the unit is identified as having significant food allergies. About 2% of the population under age 18 do have food allergies, so the chance of that affecting a good size troop is not insignificant.

Youth with juvenile diabetes are a different matter --- they may require regular insulin injections, but they will carry their own insulin and they are trained to self-inject. 

Opioid overdoses?  No, that's not an "emergency" that we should be prepared to deal with in the backcountry, so for practical reasons, I say "ix-nay on the aloxone-nay".

Think about real risks, not every possible risk that could ever in a gazillion years possibly, maybe happen...

I tend to agree.  I might say that a camp or facility taking care of a large number of people might be justified in having one (especially one open to the public).

Full CPR (not hands only) is generally enough to take care of an overdose victim until EMS/Medical Personnel arrive.