Are you aware of the Opioid Epidemic?
- Details
- Published: Friday, 23 June 2017 16:41
From Pulaski County Health Department
Recent studies (2011-15), put out by the Indiana Hospital Association for non-fatal emergency department visits for opioid abuse, ranks Pulaski County seventh out of 92 counties in Indiana.
This is what you need to know: Opioid abuse is a serious public health issue. Drug overdose deaths are the leading cause of injury death in the United States.
Do you know what opioids are?
Opioids are medications such as codeine, morphine, methadone, Vicodin, Percocet, Oxycontin, Demerol, and Suboxone; and street drugs such as heroin and opium.
If you take medicine in a way that is different from what the doctor prescribed, it is called prescription drug abuse. Abusing some prescription drugs – including narcotics, sedatives, tranquilizers, and stimulants – can lead to use disorder. Users are combining those drugs with other substances. This misuse or abuse of prescription drugs and/or street drugs is responsible for the increase in drug-poisoning deaths.
Indiana is committed to reducing the number of overdose deaths by making the overdose antidote naloxone more available to first responders and lay people who are likely to be the first on the scene if someone overdoses.
What is naloxone?
Naloxone, also known by the brand name Narcan®, is a non-narcotic medication that is an antidote for opioid overdoses. If administered in a timely manner, naloxone can reverse the life-threatening respiratory failure that is usually the cause of overdose deaths. Naloxone has been proven effective in reversing overdoses caused by heroin and prescription medications such as OxyContin, Percocet, Methadone and Vicodin.
How is naloxone administered?
Narcan® Nasal Spray is an intranasal device that requires no assembly and involves spraying the drug into a nostril.
Is naloxone harmful?
No. Naloxone won’t affect someone who does not have opioids in their system.
Where can I get naloxone?
Licensed healthcare providers can prescribe naloxone to individuals. Individuals or agencies who register with the ISDH as entities to dispense naloxone may also distribute naloxone to anyone who would like to carry it. You can find locations where naloxone is available at www.optin.in.gov. The locations pinned on the map are entities registered with the State of Indiana to dispense naloxone to people without a prescription.
The Pulaski County Health Department applied for a grant and was awarded doses of Narcan. Along with training and education, the Narcan kits are being distributed into the community and are available free of charge, while supplies last.
If you, or someone you know is misusing medications and/or street drugs, please contact the Pulaski County Health Department at 574-946-6080.
To Learn More
To learn more about Drug Overdose in Indiana, vist the Indiana Department of Health website's drug overdose page at: http://www.in.gov/isdh/26689.htm
Here is one of the website's data maps:
