Now, we want to make people carry out the duties of an EMT? Having a child at home who might overdose is one thing, but what about that person sitting in an airport or at a diner or riding in a taxi? Imagine the lawsuits.

Am I totally off base?

what could possibly go wrong?

mini-unblock has a severe peanut/treenut allergy, so he never is far from epipens. we routinely train friends and babysitters and such in how and when to use it.

and that is actually a bit more involved than narcan.

in practice, the biggest downside to narcan is that the patient is usually very ungrateful. "yeah, you saved my life, whatever, but you ruined my buzz".


ideally, people carry their own narcan around, so if you know they're not allergic to it or otherwise can't take it, and the patient is responsible for making sure it doesn't go stale, etc.

sounds like a way to save lives and hopefully reduce the stigma, so i'm all for it.

But how is the average person to know the difference between a diabetic shock, closed head injury, hypoglycemia, stroke, and an opioid overdose? All these and more medical emergencies present the same or very close to an overdose.

absolutely carry the necessary items to help with an overdose. But, the average citizen? I wouldn't have a clue and would probably do more harm than good.

I feel sorry for those who face this problem every day, but the legal barriers would cause most people to hesitate in any attempt to be of assistance in such a situation. If someone died before my eyes and I DIDN'T do anything to help, would I then be partially responsible because I should have had an antidote? I know I would be devastated for the rest of my life. I can't find my keys half the time, so I'm sure I wouldn't be equipped to be of much help if I were to forget the antidote. That is an extreme example, but this suggestion puts a load on people that shouldn't be there.

How many people would be calm and rational in an emergency situation like that? Then know how to diagnose and treat a medical emergency.

Giving CPR and calling 911is all you can do.

A neighbor's son was about 15 when he walked into the house stumbling and not making sense. Sat on the sofa and passed out. His parents thought he was drunk. They couldn't wake him up for nothing. When he vomited they called 911 and they brought him to the hospital. He was diagnosed with diabeties. He had not been drinking at all. He was in diabetic shock.

There is a reason medical professionals are trained.

the recommendation is exactly as you describe, if you or someone you know is at risk, then it might make sense to have it on hand.

i see it very similarly to people carrying epipens. only for people at risk, friends and family and caregivers. you would only ever administer it to someone it was prescribed to or has similarly agreed that they can take narcan (medic alert bracelet, e.g.) so you know they're not allergic to it and you know they're at risk.

i don't know the risks of giving narcan to someone who's unconscious for a different reason. obviously narcotic painkillers wouldn't work for a few hours, but narcotics are rarely given in emergency situations anyway these days.

in any event you would want to call 911 immediately anyway. well, at least for people who aren't known to be using illegal narcotics. if calling 911 is off the table, then you're not going to diagnosing some of these other conditions anyway. arguably the best way would be to administer the narcan and then call 911 when it doesn't work. ok, a little bit "dr. house", but better than nothing.


there are risks to epipens as well, but people seem to be fine with that.
granted, children with peanut allergies are more sympathetic than adults overdosing on narcotics (especially illegal ones), but still....

just how bad this opioid emergency is. Fuckin docs and theys pharmy
king suppliers..

It is literally ruining and destroying families in some cases and in very many ways.

This is just one more symptom of predatory capitalism -- or put another way, capitalism that lacks rational regulation to safeguard social well-being.

But you ask the one percent, the companies that constitute the Dow, or legislators who are already on our dime to take care of it and it suddenly becomes government overreach, tyranny, and... SOCIALISM.

a lot of money of the opioid epidemic, now they want to cash in on the other side of it.

wonder if the SG has any financial ties to the Pharma Co. that manufactures the antidote? That would be par for the course in this administration, wouldn't it?
YOYO America.

Geesh!

More and more people need to buy/carry an antidote (ka-ching, ka-ching) to save a life. Wasn't it Purdue Pharma and the FDA who got oxy into the hands of the masses, assuring us that it was non-addictive. Why not sue the hell out of the manufacturer. Like Big Tobacco, the manufacturer(s) needs to pay for all the corrective measures to un-do the harm caused by their dangerous product.

I would hope they at least use the nasal spray, not the injectible version

It's pricey. Who's going to pay for it? The overdoser or the good samaritan?

when I can afford all my meds on one paycheck - including the epi pen I am supposed to carry.

I can't wait for the first lawsuit when an untrained civilian gives a dose improperly to a non-family member.