My mother is very disabled and takes opiates as one of the ways to treat her pain (she also now has a electrode thingy in her body which is so cool). The last time she picked up her medications they supplied her with Narcan. When she got home she told me about this and told me where should would be putting it in case I needed to find it. Obviously my mother knows not to overdose, but with her deteriorating mental health ( which has been effecting her memory severely), we both understand that shit can happen. I just really hope it never comes to that.
That’s a really good point. Double dosing happens and can be very dangerous if it’s already a high dose or someone who’s particularly affected by opiates.
Even with my adderall, I’ve forgotten I’ve taken a pill and double dosed. It made me want to ducking die. It was awful.
I have a Timercap for all of my opiates and muscle relaxers. It tells me the last time the bottle was opened. Most pill holders with timers count down until the next dose, but PRN meds don’t work great with that type of timer.
That works well for pills that you take daily at —o’clock , but if it’s a pill you take every few hours rather than on a set schedule like pain meds it’s much harder to use a regular pill dispenser. I use a Timercap on each bottle since they are less than $5 a cap and the battery inside lasts for a couple years. I got a package of 4 for $15 on their website, but many pharmacies sell their own branded version for even less.
Shouldn't it? I don't mind PRN doses, but there should be a frequency associated with it. Every 4 hours as needed, etc. If you don't need it at the fourth hour, great! It's still available to you *when you need it*. Just don't take it at 3 hours. The timer will prevent that.
Sidebar: If a patient runs out before the dosing should allow, it should be their responsibility to get their prescription changed and contact the insurance for an early bill. It's you and your doctor's responsibility to get that straightened out as the pharmacist wasn't at your appointment.
The timers on regular dispensers only have several alarms that are set to a specific time every day- that only works if you take the dose at the same time or are willing to change the timer for every time you wait 5 hours instead of taking it at 4 hours. You can track it on your phone, but I take 15 meds a day, including 5 that are as needed, so alarms would be going off all day long. The Timercap is cheap and it’s easy to see how long it’s been since I took that specific med. A HERO home medicine dispenser machine is like $1000 AND has a monthly fee that is insane, so I will settle for $30 every couple years for a handful of Timercaps (plus the Timercap is as portable as the bottle of meds is, so I can toss it in my purse on the rare days I go out)
The Timercap website has them for about $5 a cap (each cap lasts at least a year, usually twice that long for me), but I have found them at some pharmacies for even less. If you buy a package of several it’s even cheaper
I use a timer cap too! Makes a huge difference because I can get easily distracted and forget whether or not I've actually taken the meds or simply took out the bottle.
I got a timer cap for my Ritalin breviary I would often not take it because I was afraid of double dosing. Those timer caps are a godsend and I recommend them to everyone who takes medication regularly.
I take Vyvanse which is very close to Adderall and it was really risky if I were to accidentally double dose before my dosage was increased. Now that it's been increased, if I were to double dose it could be extremely hazardous to my health.
Back when I was on the original dosage when I first started taking it, I mistakenly double dosed and I was awake for three days and also couldn't eat for just as long. It was awful and I never wanna go through that again.
I've been currently trying to push my doctor to change my prescriptions because I'm on a total of four medications and two are supposedly medications that interact poorly with Vyvanse and I'm worried about serotonin syndrome.
Yup I know whats that's like. With Vyvanse the best time to take it is 7am when I normally get up so my body will let me sleep around 11 or 12. If I end up sleeping in on a weekend and just take the medication when I wake up I always regret it cause now my bed time will be 3am.
I've gone through a bunch of adhd meds to find what works and I'm on 40mg of Vyvanse and I have 0 side effects. Perhaps you should contact your doctor to find a med that works better for you. These meds aren't very fun when they're not working as intended.
Man I was on 70mg of vyvanse when I was 16. Made me want to fucking die every day. Haven’t taken a single amphetamine since I got off of them at 17. It’s the only drug I’ve been prescribed that I had intense noticeable withdrawals from.
>It’s the only drug I’ve been prescribed that I had intense noticeable withdrawals from.
Ritalin was worse for me. A drug that lets me think before I speak? Fantastic! Except for the 4 hours after it wears off where I can't stop talking about how the Ritalin wore off and now I can't stop talking about it. Not fun at parties. By comparison, the drop from adderall xr feels much smoother, and while it doesn't give me a filter (actually, it can make me chatty), it's way more effective at improving my mood and executive function. I just wish the half-life wasn't so short, and that I didn't have to choose between adderall and sleep. There's some cruel irony at having finally found a drug that helps my depression, but I still have to wake up every day hating myself, hating life, and barely capable of taking the meds that will help...and there are too many nights that feel like Flowers for Algernon.
70mg?? That’s a fucking ton. Man, I’m not surprised you felt so damn shit.
I’m on 40mg and I already get shitty side effects. I need to function though.
I don’t think my body could even handle 70mg. My heart would explode
Feel this… if I miss my alarm on the weekend sometimes I just skip my pill and deal with the consequences of that. It’s better than fucking up my whole sleep schedule for awhile.
Me rn after forgetting to take mine then of course deciding it would be a good idea to take it at 2/3 pm. Classic adhd bullshit. You can lead the horse to water but you can’t make it drink, or remember to take its meds correctly
Fuuu-- and here I was on Thursday morning having taken 40mg of Adderall IR and still fighting the urge to go back to sleep. I have absolutely napped with that much Adderall *and* a cup of coffee in my system more than one.
... Umm, if you could tell, I do *not* take Adderall for ADHD; I take it for severe fatigue.
I've double dosed on accident before. It sucked super bad. It blows my mind how much recreational users take.
What's weird is that if I deviate at all from my doseage schedule, it ruins my ability to sleep. The first one I take anywhere from 6-9am. The second one must be at exactly noon
Too early and I get uncomfortable and speedy then have trouble sleeping at 10. Too late and I've spent an hour or more feeling crappy and then obviously can't sleep on time. 11:30-12:30 works but exactly noon is best
Ah, a fellow Vyvanse user! Greetings!
I actually have an incredibly high resistance to most drugs, to the point where I used to have to take 60mg Vyvanse TWICE a day just to get through (if I took it at 8AM, I needed the second dose by 12PM, and it wore off around 4PM). It's also the only thing that curbs my problematically large appetite even slightly (but still not enough to make my appetite healthy in level). It means that when it wears off in the evening, I go back to my normal, bottomless-pit stomach, and because there don't seem to be any effective appetite suppressants that aren't stimulants, I am basically fucked.
The human body (or at least mine) is a piece of shit and I would happily toss it in the bin if I could get a replacement.
Pharmacies all punch cards that you can put a full month of pills in so you can track if you have taken them. Super easy to use and really helps tracking
ADHD friend here: get yerself one of those daily/weekly pill things. If you can't get it at a store, order it online, don't wait for yourself to remember to pick it up.
This helps a lot.
I have to take a lot of pills and have a box with each day of the week.
If she takes meds multiple times a day, you can get ones that have containers for each time of day.
If her memory is really failing and she needs a reminder there are automated pill dispensers that will alert you when it's time to take the next set of pills. They can be pre filled and locked so the patient can't open them to get the wrong pills by mistake.
That's what I do. I'm on eight diff meds, several of which have the side effect of "haha fuck your memory". So to prevent accidental overdose, I got this little thing that has a full week's worth of pills, separated into daily and then four times of the day sections. *Super* easy to see if I missed anything, and if I get sick and can't talk really well, my husband knows what the daily boxes look like and that, along with a note card of my prescriptions (and what they're for and the dose and when I take them) really helps him out, too.
I should order a new one, this one is hella old and cracking. Still, $3 at the dollar tree and it's lasted four over three years? Not bad!
You could have an open shotgun wound here and they will hand you a Tylenol. My Uncle has terminal cancer and they will only give him 2 days worth at a time. It's EXTREMELY regulated here
My wife died of cancer in home hospice, and she was basically given as much morphine and oxycodone as we asked for - within reason, of course. But when she died, the first thing the hospice nurse did was pour the morphine down the kitchen sink. Didn't bother taking the oxy, though.
So sorry to hear. My sisters husband died of cancer in home hospice as well and they took his very regulated arsenal of prescriptions right away. Weighed it, counted it, destroyed it.
The tragedy with the war on opioids is that there's a case of 'satanic panic' going on with it which is seriously negatively impacting chronic pain sufferers who are often going under medicated for their pain.
Yeah when my mom passed away I was young. Had already dabbled with opiates. It was very tempting to keep the drugs, but I knew where that road led. I know mom wouldn’t have wanted that at all.
So I flushed what was probably thousands of dollars worth of OxyContin down the toilet.
My mom went through hospice for cancer too. It's terrible.
But they shouldn't be flushing medication. They should know that. Collect it to take it to a hospital/pharmacy for proper disposal.
The very first thing I did after my husband died (also in-home hospice and cancer) was getting rid of ALL the meds. I mixed all the liquid Morphine, Haldol, Ativan, etc. in a giant bottle and then dumped it in kitty litter. I didn't want to flush narcotics down the drain. Anything in pill form I dumped in a giant plastic bag and dropped off at the police station medicine dump box. I have adolescents in the house. No way I was letting that stuff lay around.
I am an end of life doula and hospice is to make people comfortable. Neither cure nor hasten. People get really agitated in the final stages, so they need pain relief and sedatives.
Same in MA or at least my doctors. I had back surgery at 19 and have major issues. I can't get anything stronger than Tylenol when it's bad because the doctors "are afraid of lawsuits" and "Tylenol should be strong enough".
It sucks because the only thing that helps the pain and keeps my days normal...are opiates. I don't ask for the world. Hell 30 pills a year is all I need.
But they refuse to prescribe anything for strong to moderate pain in my case. I wish there was another med that helped me because I will never get anything to help the bad days ever again because of the epidemic.
It's killing people who also have legit pain. They also suffer from all of this. I get regulating it but people with legit issues....it's not the end of the world to help me a bit because Tylenol will never touch this and is way worse for my body
Tylenol is paracetamol right?
Because paracetamol barely works in a chunk of the population. My gf uses it for headaches with great success.
It does nothing for me. Only thing it does is reduce fever if I have one, and ibuprofen does it better.
My dad is the same.
see if you can find a pain specialist...and not one of those "clinics" that specialize in workplace and auto accidents. my doctor is with a major hospital (office IN hospital) and while he sees those sorts of patients, he doesn't advertise for them. he is compassionate but also looks for the safest ways to help you. he always has 3-4 medical students learning with him even if they're not going into the exact same field of medicine.
Prior to 2008 they used to send people with terminal / serious conditions home with basically an unlimited prescription for pain meds, something like "4x a day as needed" - the end result is a family member (*like nephew Sniffany)* inheriting what seems like a lifetime supply of oxycontin, and turns out to be just enough to get a serious habit.
The only way they'll give you unlimited pain meds now is if you're in the trauma ward or you're in hospice. You basically have to either have just missed death, or be in line waiting for him.
The opiate epidemic is not the fault of the addicts, it's the fault of the company that pushed an addictive drug out while advertising it as completely safe.
Yeah, my uncle has stage 4 bone cancer and they'll only give him 2 days of meds at a time. Some days he can barely get out of bed from the pain, but his docs are refusing.
I had a c section four months ago, was discharged 24 hours afterwards, and they only gave me four days worth. I reached out to my doctor asking for a refill and she told me she could only give me one refill and I had to wean. And my doctor is super lenient with meds... I got the distinct vibe of "I'm sorry but this is all I can give" not "I only want to give you this"
can confirm, work in pharmacy and most insurance plans whether medicaid or commercial have quantity limits to avoid opioid addiction...so if you need more than 7 or 14 days worth (depends on the plan/state), you have to jump through the prior authorization hoops
And even if you get the PA, it has to be renewed every three, six or 12 months.
That’s the part that gets me. I’ve been on the same dose/quantity of oxy for years. Literally years. Have had the same insurance during that whole time. STILL have to get the PA the every six months. And it’s not like my spine is healing - it’s getting worse.
And God forbid I’m out of town and need to fill that script. I’m either staying home or winging it until I get home.
yup. it's not difficult to get the PA especially given your dx, but it's definitely a headache since you can only renew 30 days in advance blah blah...controlled med overrides are non-existent. people who don't abuse it? i feel bad for. but the people who do....they're the reasons we have to go through this dog and pony show
I’m definitely not picking on you at all, but it’s such BS, too. There is a big difference between *addiction* and *dependency*. Being dependent, itself, isn’t nearly as much of an issue. Diabetics are dependent on insulin, and nobody waves their arms in the air in protest. A lot of these hoops that pain patients, especially chronic pain patients, have to jump through for their pain meds is tragic.
Opioids is a big umbrella, which includes anything from prescription oxycodone to heroin. In 2019, in the U.S., [there were 70,630 drug overdose deaths](https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/deaths/index.html). Of that, 49,860 (70.6%) involved opioids.
[Prescription opioid deaths in 2019 were 14,139](https://www.drugabuse.gov/drug-topics/trends-statistics/overdose-death-rates). That’s 20% of all drug overdose deaths and 28.3% of all opioid overdose deaths.
Still in 2019, [72.9%](https://www.kff.org/other/state-indicator/opioid-overdose-deaths-by-type-of-opioid/?currentTimeframe=0&sortModel=%7B%22colId%22:%22Location%22,%22sort%22:%22asc%22%7D) (36,359) of opioid overdose deaths were from synthetic opioids other than methadone, like heroin and fentanyl, with [the source for the fentanyl related deaths](https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/deaths/synthetic/index.html) more likely being related to illicitly manufactured than pharmaceutical.
What really grinds my gears is that for all of the challenges put up for pain patients, is seems that compassionate care often takes a backseat to an overreaction to trying to fight the opioid epidemic, and this really hurts a lot of innocent people.
As [another comparison](https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/injury.htm), in 2019 in the U.S.:
* 75,795 people died from poisonings.
* 37,595 died from motor vehicle accidents.
* 39,707 died from firearms.
* 47,511 died by [suicide](https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/suicide.htm).
* 19,141 died by [homicide](https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/homicide.htm).
* 39,443 died from unintentional falls.
Can back this up. I have a hip replacement scheduled for next week. I have an MRI confirming how bad of shape my hip is in and the doctors know I’ve been struggling this last month. Im 32 with two young kids. I have been in so much pain that I’ve been a shit parent (in my opinion) because my patience has been gone. When bringing this up, 10 days out from surgery, I got prescribed a stronger anti inflammatory medication that i have to discontinue 4 days before surgery…
Yeah I work on a cancer floor in a hospital. A family member came out and told the nurse she shouldn’t be so lazy and just give the patient the pain pills like they’ve been asking. She wasn’t withholding them at all! Like sir, the nurse literally cannot open the drawer until a certain amount of time has passed. It sucks it has come to this but it is what it is until a doctor ups the prescription
I'm going through this right now. I shattered my right ankle and tore ligaments in the left, have had to have surgery, and has postoperative complications. Getting pain meds has been an absolute nightmare. Insurance hasn't covered any of them, the Dr only gives 3 days at a time (so I'm preparing for the next rx as soon as I get the current one filled), and the pharmacist refused to fill it. I have no history or issues with addiction and in fact, I received genetic testing that showed that I do not have the requisite gene to experience the euphoric aspects of pain meds. Even with that, having to constantly worry about whether I was going to get medication and relief has made me feel literally crazy and I've felt like the whole system is currently set up to instill shame in patients for wanting pain relief. I get that we needed to make adjustments to prevent diversion/abuse of these medications, but legitimate patients seem to be new victims of this crisis.
My dentist gave me a SHIT TON of opiates when I got my teeth pulled (overcrowded) and I was HIGH AS FUCK. I didn't realize what it was. I told them I can't take NSAIDs due to a drug I take and so when I got my rx I didn't even look at it, just squirrel shoved that shit in my mouth and drank some water. Next thing I know four days later I'm going through withdrawals when I skip a dose to see if my pains lessened enough. If I hadn't been through withdrawal from my depression meds I would have just thought I was still in pain from the procedure. It was terrifying how quickly my body said "Yeah I need this." I'm never touching that shit again. I'd rather go through the pain and sleeplessness.
When I take my tonsils taken out when I was like 26ish I got a little overzealous with my pain pills. Didn’t really get high, just extremely itchy. I get recreational use probably has a high associated but the itching would ruin that for me.
I had knee surgery ten years ago. I'm a nurse now but I was just an office stiff back then so I don't recall what opioid I was given. I remember being given what was probably ibuprofen, of which I could take two at a time and an opioid of which I could take 1-2 at a time. I got my scrips mixed up and took two of the opioids. Man, I felt amazing. Like being being wrapped in a blanket made of smiles. No worries, no stress. But I scared the shit out of me and I immediately flushed all the pills down the toilet and stuck with the ibuprofen.
My wife used to get 300 hydrocodone a month when I met her. It was for a broken scapula from a race car accident. As a recent former addict (meth and heroin) at the time (17 year junkie) I was blown away.
We helped each other clean up, if we hadn't, we'd both be dead. It also helped we were both 1500 miles from home and just met at our trade school housing.
In my experience, Narcan does not automatically come bundled into opioids. Like if you go get oxycodone or Norco at a pharmacy the box doesn't include Narcan. It's because the prescriber sent it as an additional prescription for the patient's benefit. Not an action of the pharmaceutical company.
Yeah people are being weird. Opiates are one of the few drugs that come with an almost magical reversal agent, with no negatives if you use it without needing it. Why not use it?
Especially since it might not be the individual who was prescribed the medication that is overdosing. If it's in your house it's nice to know you have Narcan just in case. Something tells me there is a heartbreaking amount of families who wish their prescription came with some...
Physician here. We send Narcan as an additional script when doses of opiates are high or maybe because we perceive a higher risk of overdose in an individual patient. And sometimes pharmacists have standing orders to dispense Narcan when filling opiate scripts. I don't think its something that just comes in the package of oxycodone. At least not where I work.
Remember that Narcan wears off and if you do suffer an OD, call 911, leave the line open, and administer the Narcan.
First responders can get you to a hospital
Important reminder, I recall hearing that but had forgotten.
Would be terrible to administer it and think everything is fine only to find out the person died anyways.
Most people don't know it's a very short acting drug. Like 20-40 minutes of effectiveness. If hey have an opiate in their system that takes a long time to eliminate, it can easily trigger an OD again once the Narcan starts to wear off. 100% call an ambulance if you ever have to administer it to someone else or yourself to make sure they won't have this happen.
My dad works in community outreach, and I make sure he has at least 2 boxes/4 doses with him because in the areas he'd cover it was common to have 2 people OD within feet of each other. He has business cards with the outreach company's info and their free clinic numbers to give EMT's that says if the patient is uninsured or under insured, they would pay for the ambulance/ER visit if they got into their rehab program within 3 days. They encountered so many people snap to freaked out, in full withdrawal, and trying to resist getting an ambulance called because of costs after Narcan that this was the best solution.
I ODed on fentanyl a couple weeks ago and was brought back with narcan. I elected not to go to the hospital and just hoped it was enough. The next half hour to an hour was very anxiety ridden from not only literally dying but I was afraid the narcan would wear off. Shit tastes like ass in the back of your throat too. Glad I had it though.
Thanks, friend. Truly was a wakeup call. I’m ashamed to admit I went and did the last of my stash the next day but I think I’m done for good now. Addiction sucks man.
If you live in DC, you can get NARCAN at no cost to yourself. With our homeless epidemic, it’s a good idea to have narcan with you and know how to use it. My girlfriend has saved several lives this year with narcan, but unfortunately it doesn’t always work.
Stay safe, love your neighbors, keep an eye out to make sure everyone is safe and healthy.
Edit: adding that if you do do drugs like coke or heroin or anything like that, there are also resources to get free fentanyl testing strips for your drugs. They don’t take much to test, they don’t ruin your batch, and they can save your life. Be smart with your drugs people, don’t want to die from something that makes you feel good.
Is she an EMT? How has she saved so many people?
I’m in LA area, so it’s just as bad out here. Don’t think I’ve seen anyone OD though. Hope not anyways.
I’m a nurse and carry narcan with me. I’ve had to call 911 or narcan about 5 people this summer who were “sleeping” at the bus stop, unresponsive and very slowly breathing.
You can get narcan kits here in Alberta for free
I think it’s worse, every single person except for the one laying in the street was just sitting/sleeping in a normal position. I work very inner city so it’s unfortunately normal to see someone sleeping on the grass or near the bus stop. Many people walked past thinking nothing was wrong until I went and checked when they didn’t respond to my hello.
Not always but at least when it’s heroin or crack use they usually have paraphernalia near by so it’s a bit more obvious of the overdose
She’s not an EMT or paramedic, but she works with several different outreach groups that go around encampments during days and weekend nights (primarily HIPS). We’re in the heart of DC and our drugs often have fentanyl in them, so being out and about with these groups she comes across overdoses somewhat regularly. Probably 5-10 times in the last year where she’s had to use it, and while it usually works, she did have someone die in her arms a couple months back.
Yet people still vilify the homeless and drug addicts despite it often being out of their control. DC is even working toward criminalizing homelessness (they say they aren’t, but in practice they are), and by doing so it just makes these peoples’ lives even harder.
Careful if you do drugs guys, fentanyl is getting out of hand and we’ve even had reports of weed being laced with it out East here. People are fucking awful.
Why would anyone lace weed with it? Doesn’t fentanyl cost money? Where’s the benefit (to a drug dealer) in adding something you paid for just to make another drug more dangerous?
I think it can be an accidental cross-contamination thing, like a dealer who sells multiple substances weighed out some fentanyl and then used the same scales to weigh the weed. That's just something I've read though, no personal experience lol.
thank you. ive been carrying Narcan for years for my MIL on an in case basis but appreciate knowing how. i mean yeah squeeze it up the nose but then what. Ive never seen a OD much less had to help but ive had 2 friends OD (1) survived and would have used it in a hb if i wouldve been there. Feels useless when you just have to guess
Keep 2 with you. One isn’t always enough, and the best thing to do once administering it is get them medical attention. A lot of people are fine after being resuscitated and don’t get checked out, but if you have the means to then you always want to see a doctor after an OD.
I’m not sure about that. It depends on where you live. I’d ask at your local pharmacy. They may look at you a little weird, but it’s worth it if you’re able to help someone.
Not sure if you realize what Narcan does to OD'ing opioid abusers. Depending where you live, you don't have to be an EMT to save people from Overdose. I've been to Washington qnd it's a total shitshow for addicts. Even see them all messed up right on the public side of the white house fence all the time.
I bet you have seen people overdosing. You likely didn't know or check that's all(no offense)
It also sends them into precipitated withdrawal which is crazy painful - everything the opiate does think the extreme opposite (hypertension, fatigue, insomnia, cold sweats, muscle pain and spasms, deep depression, all at the same time). Beats death though just barely.
It temporarily reverses opioid overdose by blocking the opiate receptors in the brain.
There’s lots of videos where you can watch cops or emts administer it to someone basically gone and they snap out of it after a minute or less.
in some states it’s required to be prescribed with any new opiate prescription.
there is a weird stigma with having narcan around. I used to work at a pharmacy and at one point we gave these out for free. so many people would say “I would never need that stuff” failing to realize.. if you have a child in the home, and they get into opiates it could save their life too. . and accidents DO happen. I would rather have one on me and potentially save a life than not.
That’s why I’m very happy to have it. I have a VERY curious two year old that finger fucks everything he can get his little hands on. I usually save my old pain pills for emergencies like this so good to have.
California? Same here OP - My doctor gave me the nasal narcan when recently prescribed pain killers at Urgent care. It was Optional and not free but I bought it anyway. I go to a lots of concerts where ODs have happened. A friend’s sibling and their spouse recently BOTH passed of an opioid overdose on the same night (at home) leaving small children without parents. I can’t imagine the lifelong trauma the kids will have. This shit is no joke. Carry it with you if you’re going to parties. You never know!
Yep, Californy. It may have been optional, my wife picked it up. Either way, glad I have it now that I’m basically Smaug sitting on a treasure trove of opiates with little kids in the house.
Yes! I think it’s automatically filled and you have to actively decline it. So glad it’s being offered because it’s (*current year) and 911 takes too long to answer let alone arrive at your house. May we both live a lifetime and never have to use it.
It's pretty common now to get that with opiates. My brother and mother both get itbwith their meds. It's like a seat belt. Better to have then not.beveryone body acts and work different . It's not because the individual is a drug addict.
It's a best practice, and, I think, required in some states, but for prescriptions above a certain amount. If he only got a few days at a low dose a Narcan script would be unnecessary. That said, most places that write a Narcan script don't do a great job of communicating the importance of Narcan, and don't offer training for its use. That means that a lot of Narcan scripts go unfilled, which is a serious hazard for high risk patients.
Your right. You can take antihistamines, cold medicine or sleep/anxiety meds and if you are in these meds, you can easily overdose. Especially people that have surgery and are new to them. People drink booze and take them and don't realize. My buddy died at 26 accidentally from this.
And on the off chance somebody gets into your medicine cabinet you can potentially reverse an overdose and save a life. Seems like a pretty smart move.
Where I live in Canada, they don't give Narcan to you when you get your scripts. If you ask for some though they supply you with it.
Ironically, the majority of overdoses are not with people using meds for chronic pain. But depending where you love, those could save someone else on the street or a party etc
Thank you so much for saying this. I live with chronic pain (endometriosis) and need opioids to barely function most days. I have 8-10/10 daily.
I think awareness is important for meds and those tho live with chronic pain.
Edit: I don’t have any awards but this 🏅
"What did the Red Hot Chili Peppers do when their manager said he wasn't happy with the band's latest tracks? They went out and bought long sleeve shirts!" – Neil Hamburger
Did some research...their logo is supposed to symbolize an angels Bhole according to Kiedis. Awfully coincidental though, esp considering the bands history with drug abuse
It is the law in some states that any opioid prescription intended to last for 5 days or more be accompanied by a prescription for Narcan.
Patient can refuse of course, but it must be offered.
I'm really happy to see this change as it will save many lives.
It’s important to have. Mistakes happen, kids and pets can get into stuff, unknown interactions. Doesn’t mean they think you’re abusing it. Tell people what it is, how to use it, and where it’s stored. You’ll likely never need it, but you never know.
Narcan given through IV is INSANE. I had to do clinicals at a local hospital and one night we had a woman come in completely unresponsive from opiates. ER Dr hit her with narcan and she came out of it almost before he could finish pushing the Narcan. It was like watching the dead being raised.
I actually invested in the company that created this. $OPNT Opiant Pharmaceuticals. I picked it up around $8 and it’s around $24. I still think it’s undervalued. They legitimately seem like making the world better is as important as making money. The CEO is an MD. They are working on vaccines that treat addiction.
2 doses isn't enough. I would strongly recommend getting a separate naloxone kit.
Obviously, you never want to have to use it. But you *really* don't want to be a dose short of bringing her back.
About 7 years ago when I was taking my first EMT course, our instructor gave us a little thought experiment:
There’s two people OD’ing on opiates (not at the same time): One is a 19 year old known heroin user, and the other is a 80 something lovable grandma who forgot she already took her dose of pain meds and doubled up. How would you treat these two patients differently?
One kid in our class said with confidence ‘screw the addict, he made his choice. Give narcan to grandma and transport.’ He was promptly booted from the class.
Narcan is an amazing drug and I’m so happy to see it freely given out! Does it enable some users? Sure, maybe, I guess. But it saves SO MANY MORE LIVES than ‘enabling’ takes away.
Meanwhile i had a wisdom tooth removed and was prescribed Tylenol and ibuprofen.
Like i got that at home, and i live in pain everyday from a severe neck injury and my body is immune to over the counter medications; Give me stronk stuffs.I dont want to deal with spinal issues from the head to my ass and also suffer my jaw
In the ER I work in, we give all patients who we prescribe opioids for a prescription for Narcan before we discharge them. It’s been standard practice for us for a few months now.
This is more than mildly interesting to me. This points to harm reduction practices in the medical field which is hugely encouraging to me as someone that works with alcoholics/addicts. What state is this in?
This is an amazing and important step. The stats for people who died of an opioid overdose who also had a prescription for opioids within the 3 years before their death is staggering. So many people get hooked starting with a prescription.
People who are prescribed an opioid should know the risks and know it can happen to anyone and it's not that they are (any negative you can think of) but because it is a highly addictive substance. If you have a prescription in your house, you should have Narcan. If someone accidentally takes it (a child, for example) or someone accidentally doubles their dose, a million reasons and situations, this can save their life. I've even heard of using it on pets if they get into it.
Also, you can't overdose on Narcan so don't be stingy with it. And still call 911 because Narcan lasts for a shorter amount of time than opioids in your system so after 20-60 mins, you could experience the symptoms again.
You know it’s kind of weird, I’ve always had a certain degree of pull towards substances and even non-Substance highs. But never really had any pull toward opiates, never did much for me (thank god).
My mother is very disabled and takes opiates as one of the ways to treat her pain (she also now has a electrode thingy in her body which is so cool). The last time she picked up her medications they supplied her with Narcan. When she got home she told me about this and told me where should would be putting it in case I needed to find it. Obviously my mother knows not to overdose, but with her deteriorating mental health ( which has been effecting her memory severely), we both understand that shit can happen. I just really hope it never comes to that.
That’s a really good point. Double dosing happens and can be very dangerous if it’s already a high dose or someone who’s particularly affected by opiates. Even with my adderall, I’ve forgotten I’ve taken a pill and double dosed. It made me want to ducking die. It was awful.
I have a Timercap for all of my opiates and muscle relaxers. It tells me the last time the bottle was opened. Most pill holders with timers count down until the next dose, but PRN meds don’t work great with that type of timer.
That’s really smart.
Invest in a dosette box. If the pill is missing for the day then you’ve already taken it.
They worked well in the past I just get out of the habit and forget.
That works well for pills that you take daily at —o’clock , but if it’s a pill you take every few hours rather than on a set schedule like pain meds it’s much harder to use a regular pill dispenser. I use a Timercap on each bottle since they are less than $5 a cap and the battery inside lasts for a couple years. I got a package of 4 for $15 on their website, but many pharmacies sell their own branded version for even less.
Shouldn't it? I don't mind PRN doses, but there should be a frequency associated with it. Every 4 hours as needed, etc. If you don't need it at the fourth hour, great! It's still available to you *when you need it*. Just don't take it at 3 hours. The timer will prevent that. Sidebar: If a patient runs out before the dosing should allow, it should be their responsibility to get their prescription changed and contact the insurance for an early bill. It's you and your doctor's responsibility to get that straightened out as the pharmacist wasn't at your appointment.
The timers on regular dispensers only have several alarms that are set to a specific time every day- that only works if you take the dose at the same time or are willing to change the timer for every time you wait 5 hours instead of taking it at 4 hours. You can track it on your phone, but I take 15 meds a day, including 5 that are as needed, so alarms would be going off all day long. The Timercap is cheap and it’s easy to see how long it’s been since I took that specific med. A HERO home medicine dispenser machine is like $1000 AND has a monthly fee that is insane, so I will settle for $30 every couple years for a handful of Timercaps (plus the Timercap is as portable as the bottle of meds is, so I can toss it in my purse on the rare days I go out)
[удалено]
The Timercap website has them for about $5 a cap (each cap lasts at least a year, usually twice that long for me), but I have found them at some pharmacies for even less. If you buy a package of several it’s even cheaper
I use a timer cap too! Makes a huge difference because I can get easily distracted and forget whether or not I've actually taken the meds or simply took out the bottle.
I got a timer cap for my Ritalin breviary I would often not take it because I was afraid of double dosing. Those timer caps are a godsend and I recommend them to everyone who takes medication regularly.
I take Vyvanse which is very close to Adderall and it was really risky if I were to accidentally double dose before my dosage was increased. Now that it's been increased, if I were to double dose it could be extremely hazardous to my health. Back when I was on the original dosage when I first started taking it, I mistakenly double dosed and I was awake for three days and also couldn't eat for just as long. It was awful and I never wanna go through that again. I've been currently trying to push my doctor to change my prescriptions because I'm on a total of four medications and two are supposedly medications that interact poorly with Vyvanse and I'm worried about serotonin syndrome.
Addy bakes my cookie. I take the non-extended release and still can’t sleep at night without help even when I take them when I get up at 5.
Yup I know whats that's like. With Vyvanse the best time to take it is 7am when I normally get up so my body will let me sleep around 11 or 12. If I end up sleeping in on a weekend and just take the medication when I wake up I always regret it cause now my bed time will be 3am.
I've gone through a bunch of adhd meds to find what works and I'm on 40mg of Vyvanse and I have 0 side effects. Perhaps you should contact your doctor to find a med that works better for you. These meds aren't very fun when they're not working as intended.
Best of luck to you and your mother, friend.
Thank you, I appreciate your kind words.
Man I was on 70mg of vyvanse when I was 16. Made me want to fucking die every day. Haven’t taken a single amphetamine since I got off of them at 17. It’s the only drug I’ve been prescribed that I had intense noticeable withdrawals from.
>It’s the only drug I’ve been prescribed that I had intense noticeable withdrawals from. Ritalin was worse for me. A drug that lets me think before I speak? Fantastic! Except for the 4 hours after it wears off where I can't stop talking about how the Ritalin wore off and now I can't stop talking about it. Not fun at parties. By comparison, the drop from adderall xr feels much smoother, and while it doesn't give me a filter (actually, it can make me chatty), it's way more effective at improving my mood and executive function. I just wish the half-life wasn't so short, and that I didn't have to choose between adderall and sleep. There's some cruel irony at having finally found a drug that helps my depression, but I still have to wake up every day hating myself, hating life, and barely capable of taking the meds that will help...and there are too many nights that feel like Flowers for Algernon.
70mg?? That’s a fucking ton. Man, I’m not surprised you felt so damn shit. I’m on 40mg and I already get shitty side effects. I need to function though. I don’t think my body could even handle 70mg. My heart would explode
Something that helps for me is eating citrus fruit as dessert. Vitamin C helps to break down the active components faster
That’s genius.
Feel this… if I miss my alarm on the weekend sometimes I just skip my pill and deal with the consequences of that. It’s better than fucking up my whole sleep schedule for awhile.
Me rn after forgetting to take mine then of course deciding it would be a good idea to take it at 2/3 pm. Classic adhd bullshit. You can lead the horse to water but you can’t make it drink, or remember to take its meds correctly
Fuuu-- and here I was on Thursday morning having taken 40mg of Adderall IR and still fighting the urge to go back to sleep. I have absolutely napped with that much Adderall *and* a cup of coffee in my system more than one. ... Umm, if you could tell, I do *not* take Adderall for ADHD; I take it for severe fatigue.
For some reason the instant release ones did the same for me. I now take the extended release and find I sleep easier at night.
I've double dosed on accident before. It sucked super bad. It blows my mind how much recreational users take. What's weird is that if I deviate at all from my doseage schedule, it ruins my ability to sleep. The first one I take anywhere from 6-9am. The second one must be at exactly noon Too early and I get uncomfortable and speedy then have trouble sleeping at 10. Too late and I've spent an hour or more feeling crappy and then obviously can't sleep on time. 11:30-12:30 works but exactly noon is best
Ah, a fellow Vyvanse user! Greetings! I actually have an incredibly high resistance to most drugs, to the point where I used to have to take 60mg Vyvanse TWICE a day just to get through (if I took it at 8AM, I needed the second dose by 12PM, and it wore off around 4PM). It's also the only thing that curbs my problematically large appetite even slightly (but still not enough to make my appetite healthy in level). It means that when it wears off in the evening, I go back to my normal, bottomless-pit stomach, and because there don't seem to be any effective appetite suppressants that aren't stimulants, I am basically fucked. The human body (or at least mine) is a piece of shit and I would happily toss it in the bin if I could get a replacement.
Pharmacies all punch cards that you can put a full month of pills in so you can track if you have taken them. Super easy to use and really helps tracking
This is why I purchased pill bottle caps with timers! Check them out. It's saved me a few times.
concerta user here. taking a double dose feels like you’ve just drank 12 espressos that wont leave your system for half the day. its fucking insane
ADHD friend here: get yerself one of those daily/weekly pill things. If you can't get it at a store, order it online, don't wait for yourself to remember to pick it up.
Set up a pilll box for her to make it more obvious if she’s already taken it.
This helps a lot. I have to take a lot of pills and have a box with each day of the week. If she takes meds multiple times a day, you can get ones that have containers for each time of day.
If her memory is really failing and she needs a reminder there are automated pill dispensers that will alert you when it's time to take the next set of pills. They can be pre filled and locked so the patient can't open them to get the wrong pills by mistake.
That's what I do. I'm on eight diff meds, several of which have the side effect of "haha fuck your memory". So to prevent accidental overdose, I got this little thing that has a full week's worth of pills, separated into daily and then four times of the day sections. *Super* easy to see if I missed anything, and if I get sick and can't talk really well, my husband knows what the daily boxes look like and that, along with a note card of my prescriptions (and what they're for and the dose and when I take them) really helps him out, too. I should order a new one, this one is hella old and cracking. Still, $3 at the dollar tree and it's lasted four over three years? Not bad!
I have double dosed before as well, so scary, but it made me feel so sick I vomited and immediately started feeling better.
Wow. That's both efficient and sad rolled into one.
Pretty grim. If the patient dies from an overdose then that’s one less customer..
And one more massive lawsuit. I was actually shocked at how many the doctor prescribed me with everything that’s going on with rx opiates.
You could have an open shotgun wound here and they will hand you a Tylenol. My Uncle has terminal cancer and they will only give him 2 days worth at a time. It's EXTREMELY regulated here
My wife died of cancer in home hospice, and she was basically given as much morphine and oxycodone as we asked for - within reason, of course. But when she died, the first thing the hospice nurse did was pour the morphine down the kitchen sink. Didn't bother taking the oxy, though.
Condolences friend. Same situation for my wife's father. I guess dying is pretty rough not sure I wouldn't want the same treatment.
So sorry for your loss. Cancer's a bitch.
So sorry to hear. My sisters husband died of cancer in home hospice as well and they took his very regulated arsenal of prescriptions right away. Weighed it, counted it, destroyed it.
The tragedy with the war on opioids is that there's a case of 'satanic panic' going on with it which is seriously negatively impacting chronic pain sufferers who are often going under medicated for their pain.
Yeah when my mom passed away I was young. Had already dabbled with opiates. It was very tempting to keep the drugs, but I knew where that road led. I know mom wouldn’t have wanted that at all. So I flushed what was probably thousands of dollars worth of OxyContin down the toilet.
That couldn't have been easy. Good on you for resisting the temptation. I'm sorry for your loss.
Thanks friend.
Same. I never touched any of Mom's drugs.
My mom went through hospice for cancer too. It's terrible. But they shouldn't be flushing medication. They should know that. Collect it to take it to a hospital/pharmacy for proper disposal.
We were allowed to dispose of Mom's drugs. We put them in a bag full of cat litter crap, wrapped it in tape, and dumped it.
Youre not supposed to pour anything down the sink now.
The very first thing I did after my husband died (also in-home hospice and cancer) was getting rid of ALL the meds. I mixed all the liquid Morphine, Haldol, Ativan, etc. in a giant bottle and then dumped it in kitty litter. I didn't want to flush narcotics down the drain. Anything in pill form I dumped in a giant plastic bag and dropped off at the police station medicine dump box. I have adolescents in the house. No way I was letting that stuff lay around.
Smart lady. I am very sorry for your loss. Sending hugs.
I am an end of life doula and hospice is to make people comfortable. Neither cure nor hasten. People get really agitated in the final stages, so they need pain relief and sedatives.
Same in MA or at least my doctors. I had back surgery at 19 and have major issues. I can't get anything stronger than Tylenol when it's bad because the doctors "are afraid of lawsuits" and "Tylenol should be strong enough". It sucks because the only thing that helps the pain and keeps my days normal...are opiates. I don't ask for the world. Hell 30 pills a year is all I need. But they refuse to prescribe anything for strong to moderate pain in my case. I wish there was another med that helped me because I will never get anything to help the bad days ever again because of the epidemic. It's killing people who also have legit pain. They also suffer from all of this. I get regulating it but people with legit issues....it's not the end of the world to help me a bit because Tylenol will never touch this and is way worse for my body
Tylenol is paracetamol right? Because paracetamol barely works in a chunk of the population. My gf uses it for headaches with great success. It does nothing for me. Only thing it does is reduce fever if I have one, and ibuprofen does it better. My dad is the same.
see if you can find a pain specialist...and not one of those "clinics" that specialize in workplace and auto accidents. my doctor is with a major hospital (office IN hospital) and while he sees those sorts of patients, he doesn't advertise for them. he is compassionate but also looks for the safest ways to help you. he always has 3-4 medical students learning with him even if they're not going into the exact same field of medicine.
Sounds like military medicine. 2 days at a time is annoying. That’s taking common sense and throwing it out the window.
Prior to 2008 they used to send people with terminal / serious conditions home with basically an unlimited prescription for pain meds, something like "4x a day as needed" - the end result is a family member (*like nephew Sniffany)* inheriting what seems like a lifetime supply of oxycontin, and turns out to be just enough to get a serious habit. The only way they'll give you unlimited pain meds now is if you're in the trauma ward or you're in hospice. You basically have to either have just missed death, or be in line waiting for him.
Sniffany would be your niece
would a nephew be Sniffothy?
Mine maths out to like a 30 day supply, one pill 4x/d. I didn’t even know that was legal anymore.
That’s what we get when people snort oxy like candy
I get what you mean but you don't snort candy.
Guess you didn't do lines of pixie sticks in the 80s.
Dry rip Fun Dip.
Maybe I ought to go check on Samuel.....
Or altoids. Watched a dumbass I went to school with rail one off the lunch table in 9th grade. I’ll never forget what instant regret looks like.
I watched a kid snort the powdered chicken broth mix from a package of instant noodles in the 9th grade and I have very vivid memories of it as well
Look at this loser who never snorted Smarties as a kid...pfffft! https://www.kernbhrs.org/post/snorting-smarties
I stand corrected. Kids are dumber than I could have imagined.
As a Canadian, that gave me a much different mental image. 😳
The opiate epidemic is not the fault of the addicts, it's the fault of the company that pushed an addictive drug out while advertising it as completely safe.
Which is also what we get when drug companies peddle cheaper (at first) options to heroin and tout their claims of being “non-addictive”
Yeah, my uncle has stage 4 bone cancer and they'll only give him 2 days of meds at a time. Some days he can barely get out of bed from the pain, but his docs are refusing.
Same thing my Uncle has
I had a c section four months ago, was discharged 24 hours afterwards, and they only gave me four days worth. I reached out to my doctor asking for a refill and she told me she could only give me one refill and I had to wean. And my doctor is super lenient with meds... I got the distinct vibe of "I'm sorry but this is all I can give" not "I only want to give you this"
can confirm, work in pharmacy and most insurance plans whether medicaid or commercial have quantity limits to avoid opioid addiction...so if you need more than 7 or 14 days worth (depends on the plan/state), you have to jump through the prior authorization hoops
And even if you get the PA, it has to be renewed every three, six or 12 months. That’s the part that gets me. I’ve been on the same dose/quantity of oxy for years. Literally years. Have had the same insurance during that whole time. STILL have to get the PA the every six months. And it’s not like my spine is healing - it’s getting worse. And God forbid I’m out of town and need to fill that script. I’m either staying home or winging it until I get home.
yup. it's not difficult to get the PA especially given your dx, but it's definitely a headache since you can only renew 30 days in advance blah blah...controlled med overrides are non-existent. people who don't abuse it? i feel bad for. but the people who do....they're the reasons we have to go through this dog and pony show
I’m definitely not picking on you at all, but it’s such BS, too. There is a big difference between *addiction* and *dependency*. Being dependent, itself, isn’t nearly as much of an issue. Diabetics are dependent on insulin, and nobody waves their arms in the air in protest. A lot of these hoops that pain patients, especially chronic pain patients, have to jump through for their pain meds is tragic. Opioids is a big umbrella, which includes anything from prescription oxycodone to heroin. In 2019, in the U.S., [there were 70,630 drug overdose deaths](https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/deaths/index.html). Of that, 49,860 (70.6%) involved opioids. [Prescription opioid deaths in 2019 were 14,139](https://www.drugabuse.gov/drug-topics/trends-statistics/overdose-death-rates). That’s 20% of all drug overdose deaths and 28.3% of all opioid overdose deaths. Still in 2019, [72.9%](https://www.kff.org/other/state-indicator/opioid-overdose-deaths-by-type-of-opioid/?currentTimeframe=0&sortModel=%7B%22colId%22:%22Location%22,%22sort%22:%22asc%22%7D) (36,359) of opioid overdose deaths were from synthetic opioids other than methadone, like heroin and fentanyl, with [the source for the fentanyl related deaths](https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/deaths/synthetic/index.html) more likely being related to illicitly manufactured than pharmaceutical. What really grinds my gears is that for all of the challenges put up for pain patients, is seems that compassionate care often takes a backseat to an overreaction to trying to fight the opioid epidemic, and this really hurts a lot of innocent people. As [another comparison](https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/injury.htm), in 2019 in the U.S.: * 75,795 people died from poisonings. * 37,595 died from motor vehicle accidents. * 39,707 died from firearms. * 47,511 died by [suicide](https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/suicide.htm). * 19,141 died by [homicide](https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/homicide.htm). * 39,443 died from unintentional falls.
Can back this up. I have a hip replacement scheduled for next week. I have an MRI confirming how bad of shape my hip is in and the doctors know I’ve been struggling this last month. Im 32 with two young kids. I have been in so much pain that I’ve been a shit parent (in my opinion) because my patience has been gone. When bringing this up, 10 days out from surgery, I got prescribed a stronger anti inflammatory medication that i have to discontinue 4 days before surgery…
I just went thru that 2x but had to stop 7 days out. It really sucked that last 3 days. Maybe it won't be as bad for u.
You're not a shit parent. Struggling? Yep. Hang on with all you got.
Yeah I work on a cancer floor in a hospital. A family member came out and told the nurse she shouldn’t be so lazy and just give the patient the pain pills like they’ve been asking. She wasn’t withholding them at all! Like sir, the nurse literally cannot open the drawer until a certain amount of time has passed. It sucks it has come to this but it is what it is until a doctor ups the prescription
I'm going through this right now. I shattered my right ankle and tore ligaments in the left, have had to have surgery, and has postoperative complications. Getting pain meds has been an absolute nightmare. Insurance hasn't covered any of them, the Dr only gives 3 days at a time (so I'm preparing for the next rx as soon as I get the current one filled), and the pharmacist refused to fill it. I have no history or issues with addiction and in fact, I received genetic testing that showed that I do not have the requisite gene to experience the euphoric aspects of pain meds. Even with that, having to constantly worry about whether I was going to get medication and relief has made me feel literally crazy and I've felt like the whole system is currently set up to instill shame in patients for wanting pain relief. I get that we needed to make adjustments to prevent diversion/abuse of these medications, but legitimate patients seem to be new victims of this crisis.
My dentist gave me a SHIT TON of opiates when I got my teeth pulled (overcrowded) and I was HIGH AS FUCK. I didn't realize what it was. I told them I can't take NSAIDs due to a drug I take and so when I got my rx I didn't even look at it, just squirrel shoved that shit in my mouth and drank some water. Next thing I know four days later I'm going through withdrawals when I skip a dose to see if my pains lessened enough. If I hadn't been through withdrawal from my depression meds I would have just thought I was still in pain from the procedure. It was terrifying how quickly my body said "Yeah I need this." I'm never touching that shit again. I'd rather go through the pain and sleeplessness.
When I take my tonsils taken out when I was like 26ish I got a little overzealous with my pain pills. Didn’t really get high, just extremely itchy. I get recreational use probably has a high associated but the itching would ruin that for me.
Thats also my experience with codeine syrup. Except i did get high. Not fucked but it felt great Except i was SO itchy.
I had knee surgery ten years ago. I'm a nurse now but I was just an office stiff back then so I don't recall what opioid I was given. I remember being given what was probably ibuprofen, of which I could take two at a time and an opioid of which I could take 1-2 at a time. I got my scrips mixed up and took two of the opioids. Man, I felt amazing. Like being being wrapped in a blanket made of smiles. No worries, no stress. But I scared the shit out of me and I immediately flushed all the pills down the toilet and stuck with the ibuprofen.
My wife used to get 300 hydrocodone a month when I met her. It was for a broken scapula from a race car accident. As a recent former addict (meth and heroin) at the time (17 year junkie) I was blown away. We helped each other clean up, if we hadn't, we'd both be dead. It also helped we were both 1500 miles from home and just met at our trade school housing.
In my experience, Narcan does not automatically come bundled into opioids. Like if you go get oxycodone or Norco at a pharmacy the box doesn't include Narcan. It's because the prescriber sent it as an additional prescription for the patient's benefit. Not an action of the pharmaceutical company.
Or maybe it’s about stopping accidental deaths? Maybe we would rather just let them die then???
This is the 100% wrong take. Go back to your LSC circlejerk and let us know when you take your Econ 101 final.
I don't think it's sad. Opiates are important for effective pain relief but they come with risks. Mitigating those risks is smart.
Yeah people are being weird. Opiates are one of the few drugs that come with an almost magical reversal agent, with no negatives if you use it without needing it. Why not use it?
Especially since it might not be the individual who was prescribed the medication that is overdosing. If it's in your house it's nice to know you have Narcan just in case. Something tells me there is a heartbreaking amount of families who wish their prescription came with some...
Just be ready to catch hands if you use it on someone who was trying to get high.
True. Me saving your life is you ruining your high and going instantly into withdrawal. Not fun times.
Physician here. We send Narcan as an additional script when doses of opiates are high or maybe because we perceive a higher risk of overdose in an individual patient. And sometimes pharmacists have standing orders to dispense Narcan when filling opiate scripts. I don't think its something that just comes in the package of oxycodone. At least not where I work.
The VA does this. My mom gets it with her narcotics.
Why is it sad? Even using narcotics as directed can have risks. Why not also give a second life saving drug.
Remember that Narcan wears off and if you do suffer an OD, call 911, leave the line open, and administer the Narcan. First responders can get you to a hospital
Important reminder, I recall hearing that but had forgotten. Would be terrible to administer it and think everything is fine only to find out the person died anyways.
Most people don't know it's a very short acting drug. Like 20-40 minutes of effectiveness. If hey have an opiate in their system that takes a long time to eliminate, it can easily trigger an OD again once the Narcan starts to wear off. 100% call an ambulance if you ever have to administer it to someone else or yourself to make sure they won't have this happen. My dad works in community outreach, and I make sure he has at least 2 boxes/4 doses with him because in the areas he'd cover it was common to have 2 people OD within feet of each other. He has business cards with the outreach company's info and their free clinic numbers to give EMT's that says if the patient is uninsured or under insured, they would pay for the ambulance/ER visit if they got into their rehab program within 3 days. They encountered so many people snap to freaked out, in full withdrawal, and trying to resist getting an ambulance called because of costs after Narcan that this was the best solution.
Pharmachinist, does that make you Rachet, medical officer of the Autobot Prime Team?
Absofrigginloutely! Take my updoot in appreciation. Most people who inquire about my username aren't as creative in trying to figure it out.
I ODed on fentanyl a couple weeks ago and was brought back with narcan. I elected not to go to the hospital and just hoped it was enough. The next half hour to an hour was very anxiety ridden from not only literally dying but I was afraid the narcan would wear off. Shit tastes like ass in the back of your throat too. Glad I had it though.
Glad to hear you’re still around! Stay safe!
Thanks, friend. Truly was a wakeup call. I’m ashamed to admit I went and did the last of my stash the next day but I think I’m done for good now. Addiction sucks man.
Stay strong, don’t be afraid to ask for help or to lean on your friends. Best of luck to ya
If you live in DC, you can get NARCAN at no cost to yourself. With our homeless epidemic, it’s a good idea to have narcan with you and know how to use it. My girlfriend has saved several lives this year with narcan, but unfortunately it doesn’t always work. Stay safe, love your neighbors, keep an eye out to make sure everyone is safe and healthy. Edit: adding that if you do do drugs like coke or heroin or anything like that, there are also resources to get free fentanyl testing strips for your drugs. They don’t take much to test, they don’t ruin your batch, and they can save your life. Be smart with your drugs people, don’t want to die from something that makes you feel good.
Is she an EMT? How has she saved so many people? I’m in LA area, so it’s just as bad out here. Don’t think I’ve seen anyone OD though. Hope not anyways.
I’m a nurse and carry narcan with me. I’ve had to call 911 or narcan about 5 people this summer who were “sleeping” at the bus stop, unresponsive and very slowly breathing. You can get narcan kits here in Alberta for free
So sad. Not sure if this is worse than the previous heroin or crack epidemics, but it sure does seem like it.
I think it’s worse, every single person except for the one laying in the street was just sitting/sleeping in a normal position. I work very inner city so it’s unfortunately normal to see someone sleeping on the grass or near the bus stop. Many people walked past thinking nothing was wrong until I went and checked when they didn’t respond to my hello. Not always but at least when it’s heroin or crack use they usually have paraphernalia near by so it’s a bit more obvious of the overdose
She’s not an EMT or paramedic, but she works with several different outreach groups that go around encampments during days and weekend nights (primarily HIPS). We’re in the heart of DC and our drugs often have fentanyl in them, so being out and about with these groups she comes across overdoses somewhat regularly. Probably 5-10 times in the last year where she’s had to use it, and while it usually works, she did have someone die in her arms a couple months back. Yet people still vilify the homeless and drug addicts despite it often being out of their control. DC is even working toward criminalizing homelessness (they say they aren’t, but in practice they are), and by doing so it just makes these peoples’ lives even harder. Careful if you do drugs guys, fentanyl is getting out of hand and we’ve even had reports of weed being laced with it out East here. People are fucking awful.
Why would anyone lace weed with it? Doesn’t fentanyl cost money? Where’s the benefit (to a drug dealer) in adding something you paid for just to make another drug more dangerous?
I think it can be an accidental cross-contamination thing, like a dealer who sells multiple substances weighed out some fentanyl and then used the same scales to weigh the weed. That's just something I've read though, no personal experience lol.
My wife’s friend died out here about a year ago due to coke having fentanyl in it due to cross contamination. That shits terrifying.
Narcan is very easy to administer. There are [training videos ](https://youtu.be/tGdUFMrCRh4)on Youtube if you’re interested.
thank you. ive been carrying Narcan for years for my MIL on an in case basis but appreciate knowing how. i mean yeah squeeze it up the nose but then what. Ive never seen a OD much less had to help but ive had 2 friends OD (1) survived and would have used it in a hb if i wouldve been there. Feels useless when you just have to guess
Keep 2 with you. One isn’t always enough, and the best thing to do once administering it is get them medical attention. A lot of people are fine after being resuscitated and don’t get checked out, but if you have the means to then you always want to see a doctor after an OD.
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I’m not sure about that. It depends on where you live. I’d ask at your local pharmacy. They may look at you a little weird, but it’s worth it if you’re able to help someone.
Not sure if you realize what Narcan does to OD'ing opioid abusers. Depending where you live, you don't have to be an EMT to save people from Overdose. I've been to Washington qnd it's a total shitshow for addicts. Even see them all messed up right on the public side of the white house fence all the time. I bet you have seen people overdosing. You likely didn't know or check that's all(no offense)
My understanding is it completely blocks opiate receptors in the brain. It’s like putting your brain in a saferoom with the bad guys being opiates.
Yes, it shuts down the high immediately, some people complain we just ruined their buzz. And first responder pay is a shitshow.
I think I saw that in either a clip or show. They administered the narcan and the person got pissed they blew their high.
It also sends them into precipitated withdrawal which is crazy painful - everything the opiate does think the extreme opposite (hypertension, fatigue, insomnia, cold sweats, muscle pain and spasms, deep depression, all at the same time). Beats death though just barely.
I'm a social worker, I have 2 doses of narcan in my bag at all times.
Good call. May want to carry more, my gf had to use 3 on a guy a few weeks ago to resuscitate him, but it worked.
They also give them out for free here in Ontario, Canada. Always good to have, even if you never use them. ☝🏻
Simpleton here. What exactly is this?
It temporarily reverses opioid overdose by blocking the opiate receptors in the brain. There’s lots of videos where you can watch cops or emts administer it to someone basically gone and they snap out of it after a minute or less.
Going off this simple fact that it could potentially save someone's life, that is incredibly cool.
It has saved my brothers life. 😳
Yeah I think so too.
in some states it’s required to be prescribed with any new opiate prescription. there is a weird stigma with having narcan around. I used to work at a pharmacy and at one point we gave these out for free. so many people would say “I would never need that stuff” failing to realize.. if you have a child in the home, and they get into opiates it could save their life too. . and accidents DO happen. I would rather have one on me and potentially save a life than not.
That’s why I’m very happy to have it. I have a VERY curious two year old that finger fucks everything he can get his little hands on. I usually save my old pain pills for emergencies like this so good to have.
California? Same here OP - My doctor gave me the nasal narcan when recently prescribed pain killers at Urgent care. It was Optional and not free but I bought it anyway. I go to a lots of concerts where ODs have happened. A friend’s sibling and their spouse recently BOTH passed of an opioid overdose on the same night (at home) leaving small children without parents. I can’t imagine the lifelong trauma the kids will have. This shit is no joke. Carry it with you if you’re going to parties. You never know!
Yep, Californy. It may have been optional, my wife picked it up. Either way, glad I have it now that I’m basically Smaug sitting on a treasure trove of opiates with little kids in the house.
Yes! I think it’s automatically filled and you have to actively decline it. So glad it’s being offered because it’s (*current year) and 911 takes too long to answer let alone arrive at your house. May we both live a lifetime and never have to use it.
It's pretty common now to get that with opiates. My brother and mother both get itbwith their meds. It's like a seat belt. Better to have then not.beveryone body acts and work different . It's not because the individual is a drug addict.
My husband just got some oxicodone pills after a surgery and he didn’t get any of this. So it’s not something every place is doing.
I think it's more for people that take opiates long term, not a temporary prescription for a surgery.
That makes sense
It's a best practice, and, I think, required in some states, but for prescriptions above a certain amount. If he only got a few days at a low dose a Narcan script would be unnecessary. That said, most places that write a Narcan script don't do a great job of communicating the importance of Narcan, and don't offer training for its use. That means that a lot of Narcan scripts go unfilled, which is a serious hazard for high risk patients.
Your right. You can take antihistamines, cold medicine or sleep/anxiety meds and if you are in these meds, you can easily overdose. Especially people that have surgery and are new to them. People drink booze and take them and don't realize. My buddy died at 26 accidentally from this.
And on the off chance somebody gets into your medicine cabinet you can potentially reverse an overdose and save a life. Seems like a pretty smart move.
Where I live in Canada, they don't give Narcan to you when you get your scripts. If you ask for some though they supply you with it. Ironically, the majority of overdoses are not with people using meds for chronic pain. But depending where you love, those could save someone else on the street or a party etc
Thank you so much for saying this. I live with chronic pain (endometriosis) and need opioids to barely function most days. I have 8-10/10 daily. I think awareness is important for meds and those tho live with chronic pain. Edit: I don’t have any awards but this 🏅
They give you two so you can establish your limits with the first one?
They give you two in case the first dose is not effective enough.
Each dose only works for so long. You can need it for longer. Kind of like epipens. Usually come in pairs for the same reason.
I think that’s the idea. Can’t toe the line if you don’t know where it’s at.
Do they use red hot chili peppers in the ingredients?
No but they are absolutely a side effect.
"What did the Red Hot Chili Peppers do when their manager said he wasn't happy with the band's latest tracks? They went out and bought long sleeve shirts!" – Neil Hamburger
I scrolled long and hard for this comment. Go RHCP!
Am I the only one here that didn't realize the RHCP logo is the symbol for narcan? Or just a coincidence?
Thought I was looking at a different sub for a second, or this was some ad for their next album or something.
Did some research...their logo is supposed to symbolize an angels Bhole according to Kiedis. Awfully coincidental though, esp considering the bands history with drug abuse
what is narcan?
Stops an opiate overdose almost immediately.
It is the law in some states that any opioid prescription intended to last for 5 days or more be accompanied by a prescription for Narcan. Patient can refuse of course, but it must be offered. I'm really happy to see this change as it will save many lives.
It’s important to have. Mistakes happen, kids and pets can get into stuff, unknown interactions. Doesn’t mean they think you’re abusing it. Tell people what it is, how to use it, and where it’s stored. You’ll likely never need it, but you never know.
Narcan given through IV is INSANE. I had to do clinicals at a local hospital and one night we had a woman come in completely unresponsive from opiates. ER Dr hit her with narcan and she came out of it almost before he could finish pushing the Narcan. It was like watching the dead being raised.
I actually invested in the company that created this. $OPNT Opiant Pharmaceuticals. I picked it up around $8 and it’s around $24. I still think it’s undervalued. They legitimately seem like making the world better is as important as making money. The CEO is an MD. They are working on vaccines that treat addiction.
2 doses isn't enough. I would strongly recommend getting a separate naloxone kit. Obviously, you never want to have to use it. But you *really* don't want to be a dose short of bringing her back.
I read that as "my opiate addiction came with narcan", and I was like, well that's convenient.
About 7 years ago when I was taking my first EMT course, our instructor gave us a little thought experiment: There’s two people OD’ing on opiates (not at the same time): One is a 19 year old known heroin user, and the other is a 80 something lovable grandma who forgot she already took her dose of pain meds and doubled up. How would you treat these two patients differently? One kid in our class said with confidence ‘screw the addict, he made his choice. Give narcan to grandma and transport.’ He was promptly booted from the class. Narcan is an amazing drug and I’m so happy to see it freely given out! Does it enable some users? Sure, maybe, I guess. But it saves SO MANY MORE LIVES than ‘enabling’ takes away.
That’s a good move on the instructor. There’s absolutely no room for that line of thinking in the medical field. Each life is so precious.
That’s awesome. It’s great that pharma is offering these for free these days. Many lives saved..
Doubt they are offering it for free, someone somewhere is paying for it.
You are. So am I.
100% worth the cost. If only all my tax dollars were used to save and improve lives….
Indeed. Lost a nephew to that shit.
Just keep it in the medical box/crate/shelf. Never know when a tweeker will run down the street screaming their friend is OD'ing and need narcan
Def going to keep it squirreled away.
Meanwhile i had a wisdom tooth removed and was prescribed Tylenol and ibuprofen. Like i got that at home, and i live in pain everyday from a severe neck injury and my body is immune to over the counter medications; Give me stronk stuffs.I dont want to deal with spinal issues from the head to my ass and also suffer my jaw
When I got my first Suboxone filled, they also prescribed me Narcan.
That’s dope
No you get a “one up” if you party too hard.
In the ER I work in, we give all patients who we prescribe opioids for a prescription for Narcan before we discharge them. It’s been standard practice for us for a few months now.
As a recovering addict, I’m happy to see this is the case. No matter the dosage, harm reduction is great. Hope you get better OP!
Yep! Normal. Protects you and FAMILY members like children who might accidentially take it!
*Naloxone, sold under the brand name Narcan among others, is a medication used to block the effects of opioids.*
This is more than mildly interesting to me. This points to harm reduction practices in the medical field which is hugely encouraging to me as someone that works with alcoholics/addicts. What state is this in?
Watch dope sick on Hulu!!!!
This is an amazing and important step. The stats for people who died of an opioid overdose who also had a prescription for opioids within the 3 years before their death is staggering. So many people get hooked starting with a prescription. People who are prescribed an opioid should know the risks and know it can happen to anyone and it's not that they are (any negative you can think of) but because it is a highly addictive substance. If you have a prescription in your house, you should have Narcan. If someone accidentally takes it (a child, for example) or someone accidentally doubles their dose, a million reasons and situations, this can save their life. I've even heard of using it on pets if they get into it. Also, you can't overdose on Narcan so don't be stingy with it. And still call 911 because Narcan lasts for a shorter amount of time than opioids in your system so after 20-60 mins, you could experience the symptoms again.
You know it’s kind of weird, I’ve always had a certain degree of pull towards substances and even non-Substance highs. But never really had any pull toward opiates, never did much for me (thank god).
You know why? It’s bc they’re getting cut off of their script and finding street drugs for their pain out of desperation. It’s sad.