NEXT Naloxone Training Video Text (English) Thank you for taking this training video and learning how to become an Opioid Overdose Responder. If you have any questions about the content of this video or opioid overdose, don’t hesitate to contact jamie@nextdistro.org or fill out the contact form on our website. Opioids are a class of drugs that relieve pain; some people also take them to get high or keep from going into withdrawl. Opioids include prescription drugs such as Oxycontin, Vicodin, or Percocet, as well as drugs like heroin. Fentanyl is an opioid that is 50-100 times stronger than morphine and is leading to an increase in overdose deaths across the country. Fentanyl is being found not just in heroin but in cocaine, and counterfeit pills as well. An overdose occurs when someone takes more or stronger opioids than their body can manage. This can lead to dangerously slow breathing, and if the person doesn’t get help, it could result in death. Some possible signs of an opioid overdose include: ● Being unconscious or passed out. ● Slower or stopped breathing. ● Lips or fingernails turning blue or grey depending on the person’s skin tone ● Making snoring or gurgling sounds ● In cases of fentanyl overdose people have reported that the individual’s body becomes very rigid If any of the symptoms are present it’s important to respond quickly. Check for responsiveness: shake and shout at the person as if you’re trying to wake them. If they don’t respond, perform a sternal rub by making a fist and rubbing your knuckles hard along the person’s sternum or breastbone. If they don’t respond to this painful action, that means it is an emergency. You or someone else on the scene should call 911 immediately. It’s important to know that help is on the way, and also to have back-up in case the person is having a different kind of emergency. The person who has overdosed may also need more naloxone than you have. In New York State, the good Samaritan Law provides protection against charge and prosecution for drug possession to the individual who has called 911 to save a life, even if drugs are present. As soon as it is possible, administer Narcan also known as naloxone, this is the antidote that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose. Peel the package back to remove the Narcan devise. Put your thumb on the bottom of the plunger and your first and middle fingers on either side of Created by Next Harm Reduction, English Version 082218 Send corrections or questions to jamie@nextdistro.org
the nozzle. Put the nozzle in their nostril, press the plunger firmly to dispense the medication intranasally. Narcan can take two to eight minutes to work and sometimes, more than one dose of Narcan is needed. Don’t wait longer than a couple of minutes to give the second dose. In addition to calling for help and giving Narcan, provide rescue breaths, getting oxygen to an overdosing person may reduce serious complications and keep the person alive until help arrives. If the person doesn’t become responsive right away, and if you’re not performing rescue breathing, put them in the recovery position. This very essential if you need to leave the person alone. Hopefully after one or two doses of Narcan, the person will become responsive. If this happens, tell them what happened. Explain that they were overdosing and that you gave them Narcan If the person uses opioids regularly, they may experience withdrawal until the Narcan wears off, assure them that their withdrawal symptoms will pass. It’s important to explain that Narcan only lasts between 30-90 minutes and that using more drugs could increase the chance of another overdose and furthermore is unlikely to ease their withdrawal symptoms. If for whatever reason the person didn’t seek medical attention, stay with them for at least three hours to ensure they are alright and don’t need medical help. If you’ve used your Narcan, it’s important to us that you fill out the reversal form located on www.naloxoneforall.org, you can also get more Narcan mailed to you. If you want to share your experience using Narcan, submit your story on our website. Thank you for being a lifesaver. If you want to learn more about anything you learned here, our website has information and links to other resources, fact sheets, and videos.
Created by Next Harm Reduction, English Version 082218 Send corrections or questions to jamie@nextdistro.org