Prescribing Take-Home Antidote Along With Opioids Reduces ER Visits, Study Finds
Patients who legally use opioids to manage chronic pain may not realize they're in danger of an overdose. "We're prescribing naloxone for risky drugs, not risky patients," said lead researcher Dr. Phillip Coffin of the San Francisco Department of Public Health.
The Associated Press:
Getting Overdose Antidote With Painkillers May Cut ER Visits
Overdoses don't happen just to heroin addicts — patients who legally use strong painkillers called opioids are at risk in the nation's epidemic, too. A new study says when patients were prescribed an overdose antidote along with those medications, they made fewer painkiller-related visits to the emergency room. (Neergaard, 6/27)
The Associated Press:
Getting Overdose Antidote With Painkillers May Cut ER Visits
Overdoses don't happen just to heroin addicts — patients who legally use strong painkillers called opioids are at risk in the nation's epidemic, too. A new study says when patients were prescribed an overdose antidote along with those medications, they made fewer painkiller-related visits to the emergency room. (Neergaard, 6/27)