Naloxone helps keep people alive
Many of us have first aid kits that we keep on hand filled with band aids, analgesics, wraps, ointments, etc.
But there is something missing that should be added to all of our first aid kits: Naloxone or commonly known as Narcan.
Sadly, with the continued epidemic of opioid overdose deaths, this simple-to-administer nasal spray can temporarily reverse the effects of an overdose. 911 must still be called and hospital emergency care given.
The Virtue Center serves as a hub through the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health & Substance Abuse Services to distribute both Naloxone and Fentanyl test strips for free. Anyone addicted to Opioids, parents, friends, siblings and anyone who cares about someone struggling with an Opioid addiction can pick these up at The Virtue Center to have in case of an emergency. It may also be a stranger’s life that is saved.
I spoke with Caleb Klusmeyer who is the Community Engagement Coordinator and a Peer Recovery Support Specialist at the Virtue Center. Caleb also coordinates the distribution of Naloxone and Fentanyl test strips. When I asked him why it is important to distribute these, he said, “Simply put, it saves lives. It can be considered controversial. We as treatment professionals understand how important it is but sometimes the people in the community don’t. Our goal is to meet people where they are at. In my eyes, our job is to keep people alive until they are ready.”
Caleb shared about his own recovery: “If it hadn’t been for Narcan, I wouldn’t be alive. As a person in long-term recovery, it saved my life several times. One time, the medical personnel almost gave up on me and had to administer multiple doses of Narcan. I lived and found myself in the ICU. I was very weak and sore as they had also continuously administered CPR. The day after I got out of the ICU, I used opioids again. I found myself on the floor of my parent’s living room gasping for air looking up at fire fighters and thought “Not Again!””. Caleb was transported once more to the ER.
Caleb explained that when someone uses Opioids, it binds to the receptors in our brain and releases dopamine which causes the feeling of being high. Opioids suppress breathing and can stop breathing. Naloxone helps release the Opioids that are bound to the receptors so they can start breathing again. The individual goes into immediate withdrawal which is not pleasant. The effect will wear off so a drug like Fentanyl may require multiple doses of Naloxone. Because the effect wears off, it’s important to call 911 and get emergency care immediately.
“One thing people are worried about is how can you tell when someone is overdosing. It doesn’t matter if you give someone Naloxone if they are not overdosing. It won’t hurt them or get them high. It’s better to be safe than sorry”, said Caleb.
While there is a decline in prescription overdoses, there is a significant increase in Fentanyl overdoses. Caleb has found that clients think they are using a certain substance that is not an Opioid but the withdrawal symptoms match exactly with an Opioid withdrawal. It’s common for Methamphetamine and other drugs to be mixed with Fentanyl without the person knowing it. Fentanyl overdoses are now being categorized as Fentanyl poisoning because people are unintentionally ingesting it. The Fentanyl testing strips can easily be used to test for the substance in drugs.
Caleb has been in recovery since 2015. He said that if he hadn’t found recovery then and with the increased access to Fentanyl, it’s likely he would not be alive today.
Caleb is a son, a father, a partner, a musician and someone who helps others find their recovery they so desperately need. How sad it would be if he wasn’t here.
For more information, contact The Virtue Center at 321-0022 or check out OKIMREADY.org.
