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. 2010 Nov;21(4):1108-13.
doi: 10.1353/hpu.2010.0935.

Preventing opiate overdose deaths: examining objections to take-home naloxone

Alexander R Bazazi  1 , Nickolas D Zaller, Jeannia J Fu, Josiah D Rich
Affiliations

Preventing opiate overdose deaths: examining objections to take-home naloxone

Alexander R Bazazi et al. J Health Care Poor Underserved. 2010 Nov.

Abstract

Opiate overdose persists as a major public health problem, contributing to significant morbidity and mortality among opiate users globally. Opiate overdose can be reversed by the timely administration of naloxone. Programs that distribute naloxone to opiate users and their acquaintances have been successfully implemented in a number of cities around the world and have shown that non-medical personnel are able to administer naloxone to reverse opiate overdoses and save lives. Objections to distributing naloxone to non-medical personnel persist despite a lack of scientific evidence. Here we respond to some common objections to naloxone distribution and their implications.

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