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U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams has urged more Americans to carry the opioid overdose reversal treatment naloxone, known under brand names such as Narcan and Evzio. However, the drug and its delivery systems have become more expensive in recent years:
As opioid-related deaths have continued to climb, naloxone, a drug that can reverse overdoses, has become an important part of the public health response. When people overdosing struggle to breathe, naloxone can restore normal breathing and save their lives. But the drug has to be given quickly.
On Thursday, U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams issued an advisory that encouraged more people to routinely carry naloxone. "The call to action is to recognize if you're at risk," he tells Morning Edition's Rachel Martin. "And if you or a loved one are at risk, keep within reach, know how to use naloxone."
[...] The medicine is now available at retail pharmacies in most states without a prescription. Between 2013 and 2015, researchers found a tenfold increase in naloxone sold by retail pharmacies in the U.S. But prices have increased along with demand. Naloxone-filled syringes that used to cost $6 apiece now cost $30 and up. A two-pack of naloxone nasal spray can cost $135 or more. And a two-pack of automatic naloxone injectors runs more than $3,700. And while it's true that naloxone can prevent many opioid-related deaths, it doesn't solve the root cause of the problem.
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(Score: 3, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 07 2018, @09:01AM (1 child)
I had 3-4 relatives who are recovering alcoholics, and my dad has lost at least 2-4 friends to alcoholism, some directly, some as a consequence of drinking and driving.
The same applies with every other drug, and based on discussions with people who are functioning (insert drug of choice)'s most are using due to social anxiety, keeping the demons at bay, or keeping the voices in their heads at bay. Almost no one is doing it for genuinely recreational purposes, and even among the recreation drinking crowd it is usually as an anti-anxiety/excuse thing so they can claim that whatever they said while loosened up was the fault of the booze/drugs rather than what they'd truly say without propriety holding them back.
Society and modern culture are the real poisons, the other stuff is just short term medication being used as a long term solution until something breaks.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Entropy on Saturday April 07 2018, @02:30PM
I know tons of people who use drugs for recreational purposes, and use them responsibly. I'm not saying you're completely off base thinking it's partially therapy: The drugs they do use have quite useful therapeutic benefits as well but the large purpose behind their usage is entertainment, and the other benefits are just a nice lasting bonus.
For the record, they are not using heroin. And none have ever overdosed.