Wow, amazing to see how much information is out there.
Some,crazily enough, is wrong.
(see above post by soundthecymbals)
Naloxone, or Narcan here in the US, is administered by
IV, IM,SQ,ETT, or IN(Intranasal).
Intranasal is nice because many addicts have poor veins, and frankly starting IV's on people with a high risk of having HIV/HEP is not fun.
http://www.merginet.com/index.cfm?pg=medical&fn=IN_narcan
Ask a doc for an RX for Narcan, many MD's in inner cities are more than willing to give you the script, as it will save someone's life,and for the MD they won't get a smelly heroin OD in their shiny clean ER. New Mexico was #1 in the NAtion for OD's, but they're doing better now that they educate users, and provide IN NArcan to users.
http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/63174.html
Cold water, ice cubes up the butt, milk, showers,smelling salts,hot coins- these are all "noxious stimuli", and are good for waking people up that are a little sleepy. (never did figure out the milk though...)
Once a person is not just sleepy, but unconcscious and breathing very slowly, it's too late for the home-brew folk-remedies. It's time for the ambulance guys.
Oxygen, airway control, and Narcan are what will save the person's life.
Shaking them, freaking out,stealing their dope, leaving them under a garbage can, or crying alot, will NOT help them.
Ambulance guys won't call the cops unless someone is being an ass to them first. So be nice to the nice guys.Be nice even if you think they're rude.
In some areas the pt isn't even taken in to the ER, they are left at scene after NArcan is given.
Driving to the ER while trying to do some f**ed up version of CPR in the back seat is a recipe for disaster.
I mean really, are the stoned guys driving really in any shape to be driving, is the pt or the "rescuer" actually wearing a seat belt?
Can they even find the ER, mush less the car keys?
IS the CPR in the back really effective?
Doubtful at best, criminally negligent at worst. ( A favorite of mine is when I went to a car wreck at 3 AM; 4 patients, 1 dead, all were stoned on heroin, trying to take the now-dead guy to the ED. They hit a parked semi-truck at about 50mph.oops.dead guy was mixed into the front dash, somewhere between the stereo and the heating controls of a little Jetta.Driver was arrested after she cleared the hospital 3 or 4 days later.)
Call 911, take him outside.
The ambulance guys won't come into your little head shop if he's outside.
Blow into his mouth if you can figure out how.
Hold his hand.
Don't do more dope until he's left the scene.
Tell the truth about what he took.
Be safe.