Patients Saved By Naloxone Too Often Succumbing Quickly To Another Overdose
If Prince died from opioids, he follows a dangerous pattern that is a growing frustration for first responders: saving a life only to lose it shortly after to another overdose.
The Wall Street Journal:
Prince’s Death Spotlights Overdose Antidote Dilemma
Prince’s death last month from a possible opioid overdose highlights the challenge for health officials using the overdose-reversal medication naloxone: getting people saved from overdoses into addiction treatment. Six days before he died, the 57-year-old musician overdosed on the painkiller Percocet while on a flight, forcing the plane to make an emergency landing in Moline, Ill., a law-enforcement official said. Hospital staff revived him with a dose of naloxone, also known as Narcan. ... Across the country, public health officials are embracing naloxone as a key life-saving tool in the opioid crisis. (Kamp and Campo-Flores, 5/11)