PHE Guidance
Review of naloxone safety for opioid overdose: practical considerations for new technology and expanded public access
Opioid overdose and mortality have increased at an alarming rate prompting new public health initiatives to reduce drug poisoning. One initiative is to expand access to the opioid antidote naloxone. Naloxone has a long history of safe and effective use by organized healthcare systems and providers in the treatment of opioid overdose by paramedics/emergency medicine technicians, emergency medicine physicians and anesthesiologists. The safety of naloxone in a prehospital setting administered by nonhealthcare professionals has not been formally established but will likely parallel medically supervised experiences. Naloxone dose and route of administration can produce variable intensity of potential adverse reactions and opioid withdrawal symptoms: intravenous administration and higher doses produce more adverse events and more severe withdrawal symptoms in those individuals who are opioid dependent.
There is a new overdose awareness and naloxone poster campaign launching this week in the UK that features the faces of real community naloxone carriers.
For obvious reasons we’d love to see some photographs of these billboards in the wild so we’re hoping that some of you can post photos to instagram. We’ll be keeping an eye of the #naloxone and #naloxoneposter tags, so if you post something expect our editor to reach out to you.
