Tumgik
#Narcan
Text
8K notes · View notes
chronicallycouchbound · 8 months
Text
People who use drugs deserve love and kindness.
Abstinence is not the only form of recovery. AA/NA doesn’t work for everyone. Sometimes people choose to use instead of meeting other needs, which is valid. Some people use for recreational purposes. Some people use for medicinal purposes. Some people who use have substance abuse disorder. Treatment looks different for everyone. Not everyone needs or wants treatment, for various reasons. The only thing Naloxone enables is breathing. Active use is not shameful. People who use drugs often also deal drugs. People in recovery should not shame active users. Active users deserve love. Active users deserve someone to check in on them, get them safer use supplies, and get them pizza. Active users deserve to be listened to. They deserve better than to have that be the first time anyone ever treated them as human since they began using.
Let’s care for each other.
2K notes · View notes
footnoteinhistory · 1 year
Text
Narcan, a prescription nasal spray that reverses opioid overdoses, can now be sold over the counter, the Food and Drug Administration said on Wednesday, authorizing a move long-sought by public health officials and treatment experts, who hope wider availability of the medicine will reduce the nation’s alarmingly high drug fatality rates.
By late summer, over-the-counter Narcan is expected to be for sale in big-box chains, supermarkets, convenience stores, gas stations and online retailers.
“Today’s approval of O.T.C. naloxone nasal spray will help improve access to naloxone, increase the number of locations where it’s available and help reduce opioid overdose deaths throughout the country,” Dr. Califf said. “We encourage the manufacturer to make accessibility to the product a priority by making it available as soon as possible and at an affordable price.”
The only thing naloxone enables is breathing. Thank you to the drug users, harm reductionists, public health workers, doctors, loved ones of overdose victims, and other advocates who fought for this increased access and will continue to fight until it’s entirely free and accessible for everyone.
3K notes · View notes
danneroni · 11 months
Text
Tumblr media
Save a life: bring NARCAN! ⛑️🕊️
454 notes · View notes
charliejaneanders · 3 months
Text
instagram
Bluestockings Cooperative is an indispensible feminist bookstore in NYC. It's been a fantastic community space for as long as I can remember. Now it's facing eviction because the store is providing Narcan — and they've actually saved lives!. Please do what you can to help. Details at the link.
92 notes · View notes
uncanny-tranny · 1 month
Text
Tumblr media
Many U.S. states now have standing orders in pharmacies so that you can purchase Narcan reliably, directly from a pharmacy, with or without a script for it. Narcan can be a crucial life-saving medication for those on opiates, and the risk factor for overdose does not depend on if the person is taking opiates on a prescription or not, or whether the opiates are legal or not. Your insurance may cover the cost of the Narcan, and if not, your state might have a low-cost or no-cost option through harm reduction clinics or the state public health services, depending on your state.
People who use opiates - regardless of legality or one's personal ethics - deserve to survive medical emergencies, including overdose. When the public is informed about these issues, more people benefit. Medical emergencies do not discriminate; thus, we should prepare to give each other high-quality emergency care until qualified help arrives.
If you do not have access to Narcan for any reason, please don't fret. You do not have to feel guilty about this, there are many barriers that may prevent one from accessing this medication. If you are still interested in helping, there are options. You can talk about Narcan to others, sharing information about how it can help people. You can see about petitioning your local and state government for access to Narcan if that is what prevents you from accessing it. You can encourage other people to get Narcan.
This post is not a stand-in for medical or legal advice. Please do due diligence by checking your state's requirements for accessing Narcan.
43 notes · View notes
vsrobotjulie · 5 months
Text
hey ontario people they're giving out naloxone kits at shoppers now. just go to the pharmacy and ask for one. have your health card on hand since they might ask for it. they're free. narcan saves lives, it's good to have on hand no matter your lifestyle.
73 notes · View notes
audreycritter · 10 months
Text
time for my pet PSA again:
if you or a loved one or friend are on an SSRI, please be aware that SSRIs inhibit activity of a liver enzyme that metabolizes some opioids. if you have surgery or an injury/emergency and your pain meds are not working, let your doctor know you might need a different class of pain meds. this info is from a major nine-year study and many doctors STILL don't know to flag contraindications for SSRIs in patient charts.
if you or a loved one are an addict, please be aware that SSRIs increase the risk of opioid overdose because of the uptick in dosage to achieve a high. (if nothing else, make sure you carry narcan in some form for emergencies. goodrx has information on where to get it for free or reduced cost in the united states, or you can search "free narcan" and your state or county in your favorite search engine. this is also useful for anyone who may have an opioid rx for pain management, in case of accidental overdose in the home.)
the study mentioned in the NPR article is here.
106 notes · View notes
angelnumber27 · 1 year
Text
If you have friends or loved ones on opiates or even if you don’t and just care about addicts in general, please carry narcan!!! Preferably on your person as well as in your car if that applies. You can get narcan along with fentanyl test strips (to test your/ your loved ones’ pills if needed) online for free. I HIGHLY recommend doing this asap, especially if you’re somebody who is actively taking these substances or somebody close to someone who is.
As I said, it is important for even people who aren’t on these substances to carry narcan just in case. It’s free and could save lives, there is simply no reason not to.
220 notes · View notes
afiendishthingy · 1 year
Text
Carlos is resuscitated, given Narcan.
9-1-1 Lone Star: 4x04 “Abandoned”
258 notes · View notes
cypresswarrior · 7 months
Text
Tumblr media
We 🩷 narcan and we 🩷 destigmatizing
57 notes · View notes
Text
2K notes · View notes
chronicallycouchbound · 4 months
Note
hi I had a question about your cannabis post
i don’t know much about cannabis so sorry if I misunderstand smth
but I don’t understand what “safe” drug use implies,, how can drugs be safe? what’s safe drug use??
i probably have a very narrow view on this topic, so id like to know more
on a different note id like to thank you for your content, I feel that ive learned a lot from this account :)) thanks!!!
(feel free to ignore this)
It’s important to first recognize that more things are drugs than we normally consider: alcohol, tobacco, nicotine, caffeine, cannabis, are all drugs just as much as opiates, benzos, etc. Any medication is a drug.
Any drugs have the ability to be used properly and safely as well as the potential to be used negatively or harmfully. Drugs are morally neutral. Even addiction is morally neutral.
Alcohol can be used to cut loose with friends on the weekend, but it can also be used to cause poisoning. Tobacco can be used to calm down after an argument, but it can also cause cancer. Opiates can be used to manage severe pain, and can also cause overdose.
People have always used drugs historically, and in order to survive, people often need them. Using substances can also not just be medically or recreational, there are spiritual and cultural reasons as well. Some people need substances to manage their emotional or mental needs (especially without supports otherwise).
Any drug can be safe. It’s all in how it’s used, as well as within context.
Safe use looks different for everyone, but personally, I try to encourage methods that are harm reduction focused.
Harm reduction can look like:
• Safe supply of substances to ensure that people are getting unlaced stuff.
• Education so people know how to avoid accidental consequences of their use.
• Access to unused syringes or works to prevent blood borne infections.
• Having a designated driver or trip sitter.
• Sitting with someone while they use in case they have negative effects.
• Access to naloxone/Narcan to reverse opioid overdoses.
• Starting with a lower dose and going slow with use to ensure you’re getting the intended effects.
And harm reduction is so much more than just about substances, it’s things like seatbelts in cars and condoms and STI testing. It’s the lesser of two evils and a primary focus of harm reduction is that it keeps people alive above all else.
Some people like to say “harm reduction keeps people alive long enough to get sober” but I personally feel like sobriety isn’t always the solution for everyone, nor is it accessible to everyone.
But yeah, safe use exists, and most drugs ARE used safely every day. That’s what a pharmacist’s whole job is for.
I appreciate this ask, I’m always happy to talk about harm reduction. I co-founded a local harm reduction organization and have done a lot of advocacy around this— everything from reversing ODs, speaking on panels, testifying for bills with the ACLU, training communities on how to administer Naloxone, distributing safe use supplies, etc. I have a lot of personal experience with addiction and feel very passionately about this. I was tired of my friends dying and I just want to make the world a safer place.
50 notes · View notes
cevansbrat0007 · 11 months
Text
Real Talk.
Tumblr media
Warning: the following post contains mature themes and references to drug overdose, death, and Fentanyl.
For the record, what I'm about to say in regards to NARCAN has nothing to do with me standing on a soapbox. Instead, I'm asking that people do what they can to educate themselves on the importance and necessity of this life-saving drug.
And I'll start by telling you a story:
This morning, I went to check on my roommate who lives on the floor above me. She had asked me to make sure she didn't sleep through her many alarms like she always did so that she could make it to work on time. She's a server at a steakhouse chain - and a damn good one at that.
She's also my friend. A friend who, just like myself, is nearly nine months sober.
Except this morning when I knocked on her door, she didn't answer. And when I opened the door and peeked in her room she appeared to be fast asleep. But she was half naked, and the fan she had borrowed from me the night before was set to full blast. Even though it was cold outside.
Her room was like an ice box. And she was so pale. And no matter how loud I said her name, she wouldn't open her eyes and look at me.
She wouldn't wake up.
So I poked her in the shoulder. I shook her. I yelled her name. And then I realized her lips were blue. Her body was stiff. And she was cold to the touch.
The only sound she could make was that of a low, almost eerie groan. If I'm being honest, it's a sound that I'd never quite heard before. And I don't want to ever hear it again.
What I would come to realize seconds later was that my friend had overdosed on Fentanyl. Possibly a few hours earlier. Which meant she was fucking dying.
I panicked, of course. Because I'm an alcoholic. I've never touched Heroin, let alone witnessed an overdose. I know what to do if someone was suffering from, say, alcohol poisoning...but this...this was brand new territory.
Because with Fentanyl, seconds fucking matter.
I sprinted to wake up another girl. Seconds later we were back with our friend where our worst fear was absolutely confirmed.
Fentanyl Overdose.
I'd never fucking seen this. Never. But we didn't have time to fall apart because from there we dashed down the stairs. She went straight for the NARCAN and I went for my phone to call 911.
Less than a minute later, she and I were back in our friend's room to administer the NARCAN, only for us to realize that she wasn't breathing anymore.
By this point, another one of my housemates had joined us as well. And the others were soon to follow. While I was on the phone relaying instructions from the dispatcher on how to revive our friend, the others were moving her limp body to the floor.
They were doing chest compressions. Two were racing to find more NARCAN stashed in someone's glove compartment. And then another was directing EMS on where to go in the house.
It was a team effort to make sure this girl fucking lived. We could yell at her for this tomorrow. But for now, all we cared about was her living today.
I had never been through this. But as much as I hate to say this, today I was grateful that there were others in the house who had been through this before. For those who knew how to administer NARCAN.
In total, we administered something like 28 milligrams to bring her back. Which is a lot. A cop may have mumbled out something about us not waiting long enough in between doses to see if we'd given her enough before administering another. But he can go kick rocks.
Because we did the best we could all while running on straight adrenaline and doing everything we could to save someone while not falling apart in the process.
In the end, what matters is that she woke up. She was in pain. And very ill. And has since been admitted to the hospital.
Now the rest of us are left to deal with the tears and the adrenaline comedown, along with the guilt of all the signs we may or may not have missed. And that is really fucking shitty. I am so mad at my friend.
But at the same time, I love her so damn much. And I'm grateful that I will hopefully have the opportunity to share all these feelings with her one day soon.
She was fucking lucky. And so were we.
I'm grateful we found her in-time - because the paramedics made it very clear that we cut it real close. I'm grateful I live with people who found it in them to unite to save someone's life.
I'm grateful for NARCAN.
And beyond that, I'm grateful that I now know what to do with it. I never completely comprehended the weight of its importance until today. I didn't quite understand why my friend kept a stash of it in her glove compartment when she had no intentions of getting high anymore.
But today that stash saved her life. I'm begging you, if you have a loved one who suffers from this disease, please consider keeping this life-saving drug within reach.
Read up about it. Talk about it. Even if it makes you uncomfortable. Even if you can't fathom why someone would think of or want to use. Even if the idea of having to use it scares you.
I'm sure if it ever came down to it, you would rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it. Wouldn't you?
I've come to learn that many people who relapse, even after months of serious sobriety, don't plan it. It just happens. Impulsivity is a deadly part of this disease. One lapse in judgement - just one - could very well mean death.
It's really that serious.
Because with this disease, you're always guaranteed another relapse. But you're never guaranteed another recovery.
Thanks to NARCAN, my friend will have another shot.
That's all I've got for now, guys and gals. I'd be lying if I said we weren't all emotional wrecks over here. But it's all gonna be okay.
And finally, but most importantly: if you're struggling with anything, be it addiction or mental health, there is no shame in asking for help. Not now. Not ever. We're all human. We all need love.
We all deserve support to overcome our darkest of days.
Love, Britt
128 notes · View notes
landlockedcorsair · 2 months
Text
To be forthright and clear as day:
I think drugs are great. I think knowing your limits is great. I believe all drugs should be legalized/de-criminalized; there should be needle exchanges and safe-use zones (nurses on hand). Narcan should be handed out freely. If someone struggles with addiction, there should be services and rehabs available to help them get therapy and housing. Drug addiction is not a moral failing, it should not be a crime. The focus must be on harm reduction and never on punishment.
22 notes · View notes
trans-axolotl · 18 days
Note
where can you get free Narcan?
Check out NEXT Distro! They have links for where to get Narcan in most states, and if there isn't harm reduction services or a free narcan program in your state, you can usually get it mailed to you.
18 notes · View notes