question?? surgeon general says everyone should carry antidote for the opiod crisis. I am guessing

[niyad]

this is not the sort of thing one buys at walgreens. how does one acquire the antidote, and who is going to pay for them?

[unblock]

1. it's a prescription medication, available at any pharmacy with a proper prescription, but

it's also available without a prescription in 46 states.

https://vitals.lifehacker.com/narcan-is-now-available-over-the-counter-in-45-states-1819896107


it's available as a nasal spray, not just an injection.

[niyad]

2. I guess they think everyone just has $135 per use to toss around.

[unblock]

4. this isn't "everyone", it's only a recommendation for people at risk

or who know someone at risk.

i spend a small fortune on epipens in case mini-unblock ever needs one, this is really no different once you look at it from a purely medical perspective.

some people do have insurance, though.


of course, the insanely high price of medications, particularly life-saving ones, is a whole nother topic....

[tblue37]

6. Re: "the insanely high price of medications"--The only BP drug that works for me is Tarka.

The generic version doesn't work on me for some reason.

So now my copay on it has gone from $60/month to $179/month!

[brooklynite]

8. Actually, no...

NYC has been promoting the idea that members of the public carry this, in case "a neighbor" et al needs a dose.

http://www1.nyc.gov/assets/doh/downloads/pdf/basas/opioid-naloxone-subway-square.pdf

[unblock]

11. the surgeon general hasn't made that statement,

and i'm not clear that that's the case even in nyc. the link provided several examples, they were all friends, family, fiance,... the only one in doubt is the neighbor, but it's quite likely that the neighbor a friend or at least knew that people nearby were at risk.

in any event, this is very similar to people carrying epis or knowing cpr. if you have friends or family at risk, it's a wonderful idea to be prepared in case you need to save their life in an emergency. even if you don't, and just want to be the kind of person who volunteers to be a good samaritan in an emergency, i think it's a great idea.


personally, i used to carry an extensive emt kit in the trunk of my car. as it happens, i rarely used it after my brief stint as a volunteer emt, and got tired of keeping everything in it fresh when it never got used. plus i'm getting too old for that sort of thing....

if i were back in that mode, i certainly would be carrying epis and narcan.

i see nothing wrong with the surgeon general or nyc encouraging such things on a volunteer basis, and i think training should be made readily available, just as cpr training is.

[marylandblue]

3. Available over the counter in most state

I looked at the Surgeon General's statement. It didn't say "everyone." It said family and caregivers of people taking opioids, which makes some sense, since it's usually a family member that finds an overdose victim.

Edited to correct title.

[sinkingfeeling]

5. I don't need one and I'm sure not paying for someone else's.

[unblock]

12. well bully for you. good to know you're the sort not to be counted on in an emergency.

[phleshdef]

7. This advice is meant for people who have close family/friends that are addicts.

And honestly, I agree with it. If you have someone in your life that is suffering from opioid addiction and you have the means to purchase some Narcan, you might end up saving a life.

Not everything deserves criticism, certainly not this.

[LanternWaste]

9. The idiot will soons recommend we carry a first aid kit with Epinephrine injectors...

He's just another idiot. By next year, he'll recommend we carry a first aid kit with Epinephrine injectors, ampicillin tablets, oxygen tanks, a defibrillator and alcohol preps. Because there are a lot of (his definition of) epidemics going around the country these days...

[unblock]

13. he may well be an idiot, but he's right to try to save lives.

i really don't get why people are getting offended about the idea of encouraging people to voluntarily be prepared to save other people's lives.

seriously,

[Lee-Lee]

10. Look for the places doing harm reduction work or needle exchanges in your area

They will usually have doses available to hand out to people requesting it.

I’ve seen reports of drug dealers in TN and NC actually getting it from these places and handing it out to their customers.