Overdose Reversal Drug Used By Hundreds

A drug that reverses the effects of an opiate overdose was administered some 240 times last year, new figures have shown.

The Public Health Agency (PHA) said Naloxone was successful in over 90% of emergency overdose cases, with the kits reversing 435 opiate overdoses over the past five years.

Supplied in a small syringe, the intramuscularly injected drug is preventing further deaths from the use of heroin and other opiate drugs, the agency has said.

PHA Lead for Drugs and Alcohol, Michael Owen said: "While only a very small portion of the population here uses heroin or other opiate type drugs, those who do are at a high risk of illness or death.

"It is therefore important that we look at ways that we can reduce the danger that these people face. The main risks for people who use opiates are accidental overdose, and the transmission of blood-borne viruses through sharing of injecting equipment."

Most drug overdose deaths occur in the company of other people, with up to three-quarters being witnessed by others. Supplying Take Home Naloxone and training people within the opioid-using community can be an effective lifesaving intervention.

The programme aims to reduce the danger associated with drug use by ensuring access to needle exchange services with trained staff as well as supplying the life-saving drug.

Naloxone is an opioid antagonist that temporarily and rapidly reverses the effects of heroin and other opioids. Following overdose by heroin injection, death typically occurs within one to three hours, limiting the window of opportunity to intervene.

The agency supplied the drug 271 times in 2016-17, 807 times in 2017-18 and 1,332 times in 2018-19.

In 95 cases the use of other drugs, besides heroin, was reported. In 90 of these cases the patient survived.

Mr Owen continued: "While anecdotally we are being made aware of an increase in the number of people injecting substances, we would have expected to see an increase in the number of times naloxone has been administered anyway, as there have been changes in legislation in recent years which have made it possible for the PHA to fund Low Threshold Outreach Services to supply naloxone to their clients, and also for naloxone to be supplied not just to individuals at risk but also to anyone who comes into contact with individuals at risk, for example their families or staff who work in homeless hostels."

Where the use of other drugs was reported, the most common other drugs were benzodiazepines (41% of cases where other drug use was reported) and Pregabalin (28% of cases where other drug use was reported).

The PHA supplies the drug through a range of outreach and addiction teams across Northern Ireland.

Further information is available here.



(JG/CM)