Opioid Overdoses Leading to More ICU Admissions and DeathsAugust 17, 2017 |
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“People who use injection drugs should obtain naloxone, the overdose reversal drug, and use drugs with partners who can help them,” said Brendan Saloner, a researcher at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore who wasn’t involved in the study.
In many states, family members can get naloxone, sometimes without a prescription, Saloner said by email. Two medications, buprenorphine and methadone, can also help reduce drug use.
“There is unfortunately a lot of stigma about medication treatments, but they are safe and work,” Saloner added. “Long-term change is possible and recovery is a realistic goal, but it requires time and patience.”
Image: By Bullenwächter – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17856929
Tags: bioethics, brendan saloner, health policy, mortality, opioid, overdose, public health, safe house, safety, treatment
