An opioid crisis has rapidly spread across America since the 1990s. An opioid crisis is a rapid increase in the use of opioid drugs, which has claimed many lives. To combat this crisis U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams urged Americans to carry naloxone, which is an overdose antidote as it would save many lives.
He mentioned that opioid crisis doesn’t only refer to people who illicitly take drugs. It is also a result of people using opioids for chronic pain as they have doses, which put them at risk.
He was speaking at the National Rx Drug Abuse & Heroin Summit in Atlanta. Naloxone can save a person’s life as it restores breathing either by injecting or spraying it in the nostrils. Narcan is the brand name of the drug, which is available without a prescription and Evzio is available with a prescription. Dr. Adams mentioned that cost should not be a barrier to accessing naloxone to Americans.
President of Adapt Pharma shared that Dr. Adams was trying to make people aware that if they are on a prescription of opioids they need to know the risks and if they are at risk, they should carry naloxone with them.
The federal study reveals that more than 42,000 Americans suffered from an opioid overdose in 2016. While deaths due to opioid overdose were double in 2010. So, Americans need to proactively take part in this fight against the opioid crisis and be aware of it. Only then can many lives be saved.
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