{"id":17797,"date":"2024-08-20T20:01:24","date_gmt":"2024-08-20T19:01:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/?p=17797"},"modified":"2024-10-05T15:15:16","modified_gmt":"2024-10-05T14:15:16","slug":"opioid-overdose-shuts-down-lungs-brain-heres-how-narcan-is-reversing-fentanyls-grip-on-north-carolina","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/2024\/08\/opioid-overdose-shuts-down-lungs-brain-heres-how-narcan-is-reversing-fentanyls-grip-on-north-carolina\/","title":{"rendered":"Opioid Overdose Shuts Down Lungs, Brain. Here&#8217;s How Narcan Is Reversing Fentanyl&#8217;s Grip On North Carolina"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"SOckGZ _9AnFN3\" style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;font-size: 10pt;color: #0000ff\">Overdose deaths are a widespread problem North Carolinians have been struggling to combat in recent years.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"SOckGZ _6JQF0k etHL3z\" style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;font-size: 10pt;color: #0000ff\">According to the state health department, American Indian\/Indigenous and Black communities are the most at risk. From 2019 to 2021, both populations saw reports of overdoses more than double. The number of overdoses is up 117% for the Indigenous population and 139% for Black people. Overdoses increased 53% among white people during the same timeframe.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"SOckGZ _6JQF0k etHL3z\" style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;font-size: 10pt;color: #0000ff\">The problem has only been exacerbated by a rise in illegally manufactured fentanyl.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"WqB044\" style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;font-size: 10pt;color: #0000ff\">The state reports an estimated\u00a0<a style=\"color: #0000ff\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncdhhs.gov\/news\/press-releases\/2023\/02\/21\/north-carolina-reports-22-increase-overdose-deaths#:~:text=The%20rise%20in%20overdose%20deaths,access%20to%20treatment%20and%20prevention.\">77% of overdose deaths in 2021 likely involved fentanyl<\/a>.<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"WqB044\" style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;font-size: 10pt;color: #0000ff\">Estimates from the North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner show roughly\u00a0<a style=\"color: #0000ff\" href=\"https:\/\/injuryfreenc.dph.ncdhhs.gov\/DataSurveillance\/StatewideOverdoseSurveillanceReports\/OpioidOverdoseEDVisitsMonthlyReports\/OCMEMonthlySuspectedOD_Report-May24.pdf\">11.4 people died each day from overdoses<\/a>\u00a0in 2023.<\/span><\/div>\n<p class=\"SOckGZ _6JQF0k etHL3z\" style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;font-size: 10pt;color: #0000ff\">In Wake County in 2023:<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"WqB044\" style=\"text-align: justify\">\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;font-size: 10pt;color: #0000ff\">Wake County EMS responded to 1,268 suspected overdoses<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;font-size: 10pt;color: #0000ff\">Wake County EMS administered 1,578 doses of Narcan<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;font-size: 10pt;color: #0000ff\">Wake County EMS left behind 132 Narcan overdose reversal kits<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"SOckGZ _6JQF0k etHL3z\" style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;font-size: 10pt;color: #0000ff\">The danger of fentanyl not only lies in its widespread availability state-wide, but in the drug&#8217;s potency itself.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"WqB044\" style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;font-size: 10pt;color: #0000ff\">According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration,\u00a0<a style=\"color: #0000ff\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dea.gov\/resources\/facts-about-fentanyl\">fentanyl is considered 100 times more potent than morphine<\/a>.<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;font-size: 10pt;color: #0000ff\">How quickly the drug can lead to an overdose largely depends on how fentanyl gets into someone\u2019s body. Your body may take more time to absorb the drug than if <\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;font-size: 10pt;color: #0000ff\">fentanyl is inhaled or injected.<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify\"><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"WqB044\" style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;font-size: 10pt;color: #0000ff\">The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports\u00a0<a style=\"color: #0000ff\" href=\"https:\/\/nida.nih.gov\/publications\/drugfacts\/fentanyl#:~:text=The%20illegally%20used%20fentanyl%20most,look%20like%20other%20prescription%20opioids\">synthetic fentanyl is illegally sold in several ways<\/a>\u00a0including as a powder, eye drops, nasal spray, pills or dropped onto blotted paper.<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"WqB044\" style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;font-size: 10pt;color: #0000ff\">Once fentanyl gets into your system, the\u00a0<a style=\"color: #0000ff\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41467-021-21262-9\">drug binds to opioid receptors in the brain<\/a>. These receptors control things like emotions and pain.<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"WqB044\" style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;font-size: 10pt;color: #0000ff\">Fentanyl can then keep your brain from telling your vital organs how to function properly by<a style=\"color: #0000ff\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/niosh\/ershdb\/emergencyresponsecard_29750022.html\">\u00a0depressing the central nervous system and respiratory function<\/a>, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.<\/span><\/div>\n<p class=\"SOckGZ _6JQF0k etHL3z\" style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;font-size: 10pt;color: #0000ff\">When someone\u2019s lungs aren\u2019t told to expand and contract properly, their body starts to lack sufficient oxygen supply.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"WqB044\" style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;font-size: 10pt;color: #0000ff\">Without enough oxygen, someone can lose consciousness in a matter of seconds. Studies of patients who have needed help breathing after a traumatic brain injury or stroke found\u00a0<a style=\"color: #0000ff\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/topics\/medicine-and-dentistry\/brain-oxygen-consumption\">the brain uses about 20% of the body\u2019s oxygen<\/a>.<\/span><\/div>\n<p class=\"SOckGZ _6JQF0k etHL3z\" style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;font-size: 10pt;color: #0000ff\">Without enough oxygen supply, the brain can shut down within minutes. This can then lead to permanent brain damage or death once other organs stop functioning properly due to a lack of blood flow.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"SOckGZ _6JQF0k etHL3z\" style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;font-size: 10pt;color: #0000ff\">The medication naloxone has emerged as a powerful antidote for opioid overdoses.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"SOckGZ _6JQF0k etHL3z\" style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;font-size: 10pt;color: #0000ff\">The CDC reports that naloxone can reduce the effects of several opioids including, fentanyl, morphine, heroin, oxycodone, methadone, hydrocodone, codeine and hydromorphone.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"WqB044\" style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;font-size: 10pt;color: #0000ff\">When the\u00a0<a style=\"color: #0000ff\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wral.com\/story\/narcan-is-headed-to-stores-what-you-need-to-know\/21025458\/\">overdose-reversal medication was first approved<\/a>, it was sold under the brand name Narcan.<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"WqB044\" style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;font-size: 10pt;color: #0000ff\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff\" href=\"https:\/\/nida.nih.gov\/publications\/drugfacts\/naloxone\">Naloxone works by binding to opioid receptors<\/a>\u00a0in the brain and essentially blocks and reverses the effects of other opioids.<\/span><\/div>\n<p class=\"SOckGZ _6JQF0k etHL3z\" style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;font-size: 10pt;color: #0000ff\">The medication allows for the body\u2019s response system to switch back \u2018on\u2019 and restore normal breathing.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"WqB044\" style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;font-size: 10pt;color: #0000ff\">The medication comes in\u00a0<a style=\"color: #0000ff\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wral.com\/story\/narcan-can-give-you-a-second-chance-local-deputies-doctors-praise-move-to-make-narcan-more-readily-available\/20787119\/\">two FDA-approved forms: a nasal spray or an injection<\/a>. Naloxone is available for over-the-counter purchase.<\/span><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"WqB044\" style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;font-size: 10pt;color: #0000ff\">North Carolina has 50 Syringe Service Programs across 58 counties. The state health department reports the programs collectively\u00a0<a style=\"color: #0000ff\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncdhhs.gov\/nc-safer-syringe-initiative-annual-report-2022-2023\/download?attachment\">distributed over 109,000 naloxone kits<\/a>\u00a0from 2022-2023.<\/span><\/div>\n<p class=\"SOckGZ _6JQF0k etHL3z\" style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;font-size: 10pt;color: #0000ff\">During the same timeframe, the state tells WRAL News there were nearly 17,000 overdose reversal reports.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"SOckGZ _6JQF0k etHL3z\" style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;font-size: 10pt;color: #0000ff\">Naloxone will not harm someone who hasn\u2019t taken an opioid, so it is recommended even when it is unclear what kind of drug a person has taken.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"SOckGZ _6JQF0k etHL3z\" style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;font-size: 10pt;color: #0000ff\">More than one dose may be needed because some opioids, like fentanyl, can take a stronger hold on the opioid receptors.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"WqB044\" style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;font-size: 10pt;color: #0000ff\">Narcan may only work for 30-90 minutes, but\u00a0<a style=\"color: #0000ff\" href=\"https:\/\/injuryfreenc.dph.ncdhhs.gov\/DataSurveillance\/Naloxone_Distribution_Toolkit.pdf\">some opioids remain in the body for a longer time<\/a>. Those administering naloxone are highly encouraged to call 911, because someone may once experience the effects of an overdose again after the medication wears off.<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"WqB044\" style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;font-size: 10pt;color: #0000ff\">North Carolina became the first state in the country to begin an\u00a0<a style=\"color: #0000ff\" href=\"https:\/\/naloxonesaves.org\/community-distribution-of-naloxone\/\">EMS Naloxone Leave-Behind Program<\/a>\u00a0in 2018. The initiative allows first responders to leave a naloxone kit with an individual who refuses the option to go to a hospital after an overdose.<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify\"><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"WqB044\" style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;font-size: 10pt;color: #0000ff\">Other states, including\u00a0<a style=\"color: #0000ff\" href=\"https:\/\/www.azdhs.gov\/documents\/preparedness\/emergency-medical-services-trauma-system\/naloxone\/naloxone-leave-behind-program-training.pdf\">Arizona<\/a>, and cities like\u00a0<a style=\"color: #0000ff\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC9683755\/\">San Franscico<\/a>, have since molded similar programs on North Carolina\u2019s success.<\/span><\/div>\n<p class=\"SOckGZ _6JQF0k etHL3z\" style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;font-size: 10pt;color: #0000ff\">Other states, including Arizona and San Franscico, have since molded similar programs on North Carolina\u2019s success.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;font-size: 10pt;color: #0000ff\">Source: <a style=\"color: #0000ff\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wral.com\/amp\/21525957\/\">https:\/\/www.wral.com\/amp\/21525957\/<\/a> July 2024<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Overdose deaths are a widespread problem North Carolinians have been struggling to combat in recent years. According to the state health department, American Indian\/Indigenous and Black communities are the most at risk. From 2019 to 2021, both populations saw reports of overdoses more than double. The number of overdoses is up 117% for the Indigenous [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[122,64,14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17797","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fentanyl","category-health","category-social-affairs"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17797","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17797"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17797\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17797"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17797"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17797"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}