Government Petition to have NALOXONE provided NOW!

[Si Dread]

If they had had Naloxone at home, it might have helped save some of the 765 people who died from opiate OD's in the UK last year. I may not believe in junk, but I believe in people!

A friend of a friend has set up a petition to the Home Office to call for the prescription of Naloxone for heroin users to be rushed into place, rather than at the end of this year, another 700 lives away...

I know it's a drag writing in your details, checking the link in your inbox & clicking it. I know, it's a drag. Dyings a drag too! We know that here, right? Sign it for everyone we've lost, if Naloxone had been available to them at home, maybe some of them would be around now Don't be scared of the government, if we stand together, they'll fear us!

Sign it, no excuses! Please - http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/74636

 

[pjd555]

Most ambulances do carry naloxone. Most NHS trusts have rules stating that patients who have been administered morphine cannot be transported unless there is a crew member authorised to administer naloxone.

 

[Sammy G]

Here's an informative, if annoying, booklet produced by an NHS trust local to me for ambulance crews, entitled (yuck) 'Keep Calm And Carry Naloxone':

http://www.gmw.nhs.uk/download.cfm?doc=docm93jijm4n889.pdf&ver=1661

Most other trusts appear to have similar resources, and I know several people throughout the country who've been saved by naloxone shots administered by paramedics.

Where exactly did you get this misinformation, Si? Is it a misapprehension based on the information given in the post above, perhaps?

 

[Si Dread]

Yeah errr I was in a hurry & rushed that post

Turns out the campaign is to encourage the Home Office to consider permitting heroin users to be prescribed Naloxone for "take-home" use NOW. Apparently, they're planning to either decide to roll this out in October, or they're actually planning to roll this out in October & there seems little reason not to have it available right now. If those statistics are accurate, we're losing 2 people a day to OD's.

Good to hear this is already carried by paramedics etc. Back when I first got the to the UK there was a campaign to get ambulances to carry nebulisers, which is standard procedure nowadays.

I don't know shit about opiates, I'm not interested in them except to control pain & on those rare but interesting ocassions when opium makes an appearance. So I can't really claim to be all up on the latest news about opiates. But seeing there is now a fair contingent of EADDers who seem to use opiates, I thought this might a wise place to garner support for the petition.

Brain was busy doing something else, heart was in right place lol

 

[Sammy G]

Ah, that makes sense. Thanks for the clarification.

 

[Si Dread]

Nah, it's cool... Thanks for the heads-up... editted original post slightly too.

 

[Shambles]

Sorry to add piss to the parade but naloxone amps are already given as take-home "scripts" and without prescription at that. They are where I live anyway. I've got amps of it here myself - not scripted but just given out free (along with a brief instructional talk from the nurse) on how to use 'em.

Whilst I agree this should be standard operating procedure across the whole country (I genuinely thought it was ) I'd suggest the problem lies mainly with the fact that addiction services are fragmented and almost entirely private/charity organisations with no real connection beyond a few somewhat corporate entities that provide "service" across several regions (such as Kaleidoscope which I've attended for years and definitely do provide naloxone amps and training in how to use said amps).

We have recently introduced take-home naloxone in Powys...

But yeah, should be standard procedure worldwide for sure.

 

[Si Dread]

Bit disappointing that more people have not signed the petition

 

[Sammy G]

Well, given that take-home Naloxone appears to be widely available, it's not all that surprising.

Here's an NHS report from last year which states that nationwide programmes exist in Wales and Scotland, with trials having been conducted in England last year. A quick google search confirms that most major NHS trusts in England offer it now.

I think the most successful approach would be to identify which trusts (if any) aren't providing these services and lobby them individually.

 

[ScotchMist]

Done..

 

[BigG]

Just to confirm..we all carry narcan (naloxone).in vehicles and all Paramedics can give it. We are not allowed to administer morphine unless we also have narcan. They are both carried next to each other in the same bag. It needs to be administered quickly though as respiratory depression will quickly lead to cardiac arrest. If that happens then unfortunately it's not like casualty where the person is defibbed are comes round everything. If CPR is started straightaway and the person still has what is known as a "shockable rhythm " (VF or VT with heart rate over 160) then they can be shocked. If they are just left and go into asystoli then they can't be shocked. They can be given adrenaline but the prognosis isn't great.

Bottom line is that immediately administered narcan saves all that and can save the persons life.
Stay safe folks

 

[felix]

I think the most successful approach would be to identify which trusts (if any) aren't providing these services and lobby them individually.

Looks like it. And also to encourage people to phone a fucking ambulance if someone's in trouble, rather than hope for the best.

 

[BigG]

. And also to encourage people to phone a fucking ambulance if someone's in trouble, rather than hope for the best.

Couldn't have put it better felix....

I can stress how important it is to phone an ambulance STRAIGHT. AWAY...

the moment someone has ODd then the clock is ticking....every minute makes a massive difference... As I said above once cardiac arrest occurs time is rapidly running out and it's not like TV where the paramedic turns up...shocks the person and they come round everything...
I'm not going to bore the tits of anyone by delving too deeply into the mechanics but please...if you think someone had overdosed....call a fucking ambulance

 

[maxalfie]

Our local DSP already hands kits out with Naloxone if you ask them for it and apparently it's already saved one life in our town where one user had to administer it to his friens who 'went over' in front of him. My keyworker said it's a syringe with a long needle that just has to be jabbed into the body whereas the ones i've seen that are used in the USA are like oral syringes and they have to squirt half the dose up one nostril and the other half up the other nostril.

 

[BigG]

The yanks went for intranasal since non drug using friends and relatives would find it easier to administer as theyvsaid be unused to needles.....makes sense I suppose.

In terms of just jabbing it anywhere into the body.... Just remember it will take longer to take effect thatvcan than it does with IV administration.

 

[maxalfie]

My keyworker did say where you should jab it into yr body but i can't recall where she said but i guess it doesn't matter too much. She said it's a long needle so that it can even be used through clothing. Obviously it will take longer than IV to to take affect but you know how long it can take to find a suitable vein to use on somebody so i guess the important thing is just to get the drug into their body asap.
I didn't realise that they did give Naloxone out until yesterday, i had an appointment with the doctor there and saw the poster advertising that it's available from them and asked my keyworker about it. She did say that they always advise after administering it to call for an ambulance and to give the kit to the paramedics so that they are aware of what has already been given to the person.

 

[BigG]

That's pretty much why they tell you to just get it in...it certainly can't do any good on the outside and finding a vein on someone who may have bad veins when your panicking yourself is no good...Just get it in a large muscle.

Still always call an ambulance as naloxone has a shorter half life than a lot of opiates so may need to be readministered when they get to hospital.

Also a very good Point max that you should tell the paramedics what the person has taken and what you've given them showing tgem the package.

When it comes to people getting in trouble taking something don't be frightened to show the ambulance crew what drug they've taken and give it to them.... We just take it and give it to the hospital so they can identify it and help the person....we don't give it to the police...this is important because you may think..."well he's taken heroin so I can just tell the paramedic that I don't need to give him the remainder of the drug" but you have no idea what it was cut with and giving poison control a sample helps enormously....

Only reason I mentioned that is that it was something we were covering on this godforsaken eight week course I'm on...it's only week 2 and I'm sick of it all ready!!

 

[pjd555]

Thank you for confirming as a paramedic (I assume) what I as a doctor know. You do not transport patients who have been administered morphine - either by a doctor or a paramedic - unless there is a person authorised to administer naloxone. All ambulances have naloxone and the only issue is that occasionally there is a crew problem and no one has authorisation. The qualification threshold for authorisation is very low and in effect the ambulance has become a very expensive taxi if such a situation occurs.

 

[BigG]

I'm not entirely sure if advanced techs are allowed to administer naloxone nowadays....it always was paramedics only but it may have changed.. I'll find out. Obviously only a HCPC registered paramedic can administer morphine so the thinking is that if it's a non paramedic crew (much more common these days) then morphine won't have been administered and you would never send a non paramedic crew to an Od or a situation serious enough to warrant the administration of morphine by either another paramedic (rapid response) or an attending physician.

Thats the theory anyway but with NHS cuts being the way they're and the introduction of ECAs who have 7weeks training and aren't allowed to administer any drugs other than O2 things might be different in practice.

Ideally ever ambulance would have a double paramedic crew......but IDEALLY I'll be shagging Angelina Jolie tonight and that ain't gonna happen either....

 

[Shambles]

My keyworker did say where you should jab it into yr body but i can't recall where she said but i guess it doesn't matter too much.

I was told to use the thigh if possible (upper outside quadrant thereof) but it's just an IM shot so basically any muscle will do. I'd presume you probably still want to avoid hitting an artery same as with any other IM injection.