Introduction
Naloxone in Every Workplace is a campaign launched by the Pueblo Department of Public Health and Environment to increase access to the life-saving medication, naloxone, that can reverse an opioid overdose. PDPHE offers free opioid overdose naloxone kits to businesses in Pueblo County while supplies last.
An opioid overdose can happen anywhere and can also occur to those prescribed opioid medication to treat persistent or severe pain. Therefore, it is crucial to have naloxone available within Pueblo County, especially in businesses open to the public, such as hotels, restaurants, bars, malls, theaters, stadiums, and stores. Additionally, it is also critical to provide training to business owners and their staff on how to respond and react in case an overdose occurs on or around their premises.
Former Vice-Admiral of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, Jerome Michael Adams, who also served as the 20th Surgeon General of the United States from September 5, 2017, until January 20, 2021, made the following statement at a health conference in 2018 regarding the importance of making naloxone available at work.
For a heart attack, we train employees how to do CPR until the paramedics arrive. Why is that not the case with naloxone and Narcan? We need to make these emergency treatments as ubiquitous as knowing CPR and calling for a defibrillator when someone is having a heart attack or using an EpiPen when someone has an allergic reaction.
Background
Opioids are a class of drugs that include:
Legal pain relievers available by prescription - Oxycodone, OxyContin, Vicodin, Hydrocodone, Codeine, and Morphine.
Illegal opioids – Heroin, one of the most deadly, powerful, and addictive drugs in the US.
Synthetic opioids – Fentanyl, Carfentanyl
Fentanyl
- A powerful synthetic opioid that is like morphine but is 50 - 100 times more potent.
- Often used during surgery and to treat cancer pain.
- Most recent cases of fentanyl-related harm, overdose, and death in the U.S. are linked to illegally made fentanyl.
- Overdose can be reversed with Naloxone; may require multiple doses.
Carfentanyl
- 100 times more potent than Fentanyl.
- Used in veterinary practices on large animals such as elephants.
What is Naloxone?
- Naloxone is a life-saving drug that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose
- Its effects can last from 30-90 minutes.
- Naloxone helps restore breathing to a person who is overdosing from opioid drugs such as heroin and prescription drugs such as oxycontin, oxycodone and fentanyl
- After 90 minutes, effects of opioid may return depending on the opioid and if there is enough drug still in the bloodstream.
Opioids bind to specific sites in the brain that affect breathing, as well as minimize the perception of pain. Naloxone works to reverses the effects of opioids by binding to these same sites more closely than opioids, so that breathing may be restored.
Naloxone does not reverse overdoses caused by non-opioid drugs, such as cocaine, benzodiazepines (e.g., Xanax and Valium), methamphetamines, or alcohol.
Is Narcan / Kloxxado the Same as Naloxone?
When naloxone was first approved to reverse opioid overdoses, its brand name was “Narcan.” There are now other formulations and brand names for naloxone, but many people continue to call all of these products “Narcan.” However, the proper generic name is “naloxone” (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2022).
Note: Naloxone Hydrochloride (naloxone HCI) is the active ingredient in both Narcan and Kloxxado.
What is the difference between Narcan nasal spray and Kloxxado nasal spray?
Narcan contains 4 mg of naloxone HCI per spray, whereas Kloxxado contains 8 mg of naloxone HCI per spray. Both products come with two devices per box.
How many lives are saved each month in Pueblo by using naloxone?
