3RPHD has joined Stop Overdose Nebraska which works to educate the public about lifesaving NARCAN, a fast-acting drug that can save someone who is experiencing an opioid overdose. Narcan can counteract the life-threatening effects of an opioid overdose.

Opioids are medications that act on receptors in the spinal cord and brain to reduce pain intensity and activate reward regions in the brain, causing a euphoric feeling that can lead to misuse and opioid use disorder. Common opioids include prescription medications used to treat pain, such as morphine, codeine, methadone, oxycodone, hydrocodone, fentanyl, and hydromorphone, and illicit drugs like heroin.

Signs of an opioid overdose can include:              

• Blue lips, skin, or fingernails
• Pinpoint pupils
• Unresponsive to voice or touch
• Choking sounds or snore-like gurgle
• Slow, irregular, or stopped breathing
• Slow heartbeat or low blood pressure

Narcan can restore normal breathing to a person whose breathing has slowed or stopped due to opioids, including fentanyl, if given in time. This medicine is a nasal spray and can be safely administered by a layperson with virtually no side effects.

While Nebraska has yet to see the high rates of opioid related overdose deaths that many other parts of the country have been experiencing, Nebraska has seen a 19% increase in the last decade of the number of opioid involved overdose deaths. In 2021, 253 people in Nebraska died from a drug overdose. At least 126 of those deaths were opioid related.

Who should carry naloxone? If you or someone you know is at increased risk for opioid overdose, especially those struggling with opioid use disorder (OUD), you should carry naloxone and keep it at home. People who are taking high dose opioid medications (greater or equal to 50 morphine milligram equivalents per day) prescribed by a doctor, people who use opioids and benzodiazepines together, and people who use illicit opioids like heroin should all carry naloxone. Because you can’t use naloxone on yourself, let others know you have it in case you experience an opioid overdose.

If you administer Narcan to an individual, it is important to also make sure you call 911 to get them medical help. A person can go back into an overdose after 30 minutes of receiving Narcan. Nebraska has a Good Samaritan Law which states that a person who is gratuitously giving emergency care to a person in need cannot be held civilly liable for their acts or omissions while helping that person. It is important that you stay with that person until emergency help arrives.

Anyone who is a Nebraska resident and is at least 12 years or older is eligible to receive a minimum of two doses of Narcan per day without a prescription at no cost. 3RPHD is now a participating pharmacy able to distribute Narcan to folks in the community without a prescription and at NO COST.

Carrying Narcan is as easy as adding it to your first aid kit, so you are prepared in the event of an emergency.

For more information about Narcan, please visit www.stopodne.com