Take-Home Naloxone ‘reverses more than 160 overdoses’ | Newry Times | Latest Newry News, Newry Sport and Newry Business for Newry City

Take-Home Naloxone ‘reverses more than 160 overdoses’ | Newry Times

New figures from the Public Health Agency (PHA) show that the Take Home Naloxone programme saw naloxone administered 180 times in 2019-20 and was successful in reversing an opiate overdose in over 91% of cases.

 

Take-Home Naloxone 'reverses more than 160 overdoses' - Newry Times - Newry population

 

Naloxone, supplied in a small syringe, is injected intramuscularly and can be administered by anyone in an emergency overdose situation.

Since April 2014, Take Home Naloxone has been successful in reversing 598 opiate overdoses.

 

 

In 2019-20, it reversed 163 overdoses.

The Public Health Agency, with support from the Health and Social Care Board, coordinates the Take Home Naloxone programme.

Michael Owen, the PHA’s Lead for Drugs and Alcohol, said, “As the figures show, this service provides an important life-saving intervention – each overdose reversal is an occasion when a person could have died but didn’t.

“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.

 

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“The main risks for people who use opiates are accidental overdose and the transmission of blood-borne viruses through the sharing of injecting equipment.

“We need to ensure we do all we can to reduce these dangers, by ensuring access to needle exchange services with trained staff and providing access to the life-saving drug naloxone.

“Addressing these risks also provides opportunities for health service engagement with this hard-to-reach group, which can be used to support them into treatment,” he added.

 

 

Naloxone is an opioid antagonist, which 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.

Most drug overdose deaths occur in the company of other people, with up to three-quarters of overdoses being witnessed by others.

Supplying Take Home Naloxone and training to people within the opioid-using community can be an effective lifesaving intervention.

In 2016-17, Take Home Naloxone was supplied 271 times; in 2017-18 it was supplied 807 times, in 2018-19 it was supplied 1,332 times, and in 2019-20 it was supplied 1,321 times.

Dr Stephen Bergin, Interim Director of Public Health at the PHA said, “The Public Health Agency is committed to ensuring evidence-based interventions are implemented to protect and to improve the health and wellbeing of our population, including those who are most vulnerable.

“Ensuring availability of Take Home Naloxone reduces the risk of premature deaths,” he added.

 

 

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, such as their families or staff who work in homeless hostels.

Key stats in 2019-20 Take Home Naloxone report:

• Take-Home Naloxone was supplied 1,321 times.

• Packs were used 180 times to attempt to reverse an overdose.

• The patient survived in 91% (163) of cases.

• On more occasions it was males (111) who overdosed. Females overdosed in 63 cases.

• In 96 cases use of other drugs besides heroin was reported.

• Other substances taken in addition to heroin were benzodiazepines (63 cases), pregabalin (22 cases), alcohol (14 cases), opioids including fentanyl, codeine, dihydrocodeine and oxycodone (5 cases), new psychoactive substances (5 cases), methadone (2 cases), and cocaine (1 case).

 

 

The 2019-20 annual report on the supply and use of Take Home Naloxone can be found here.

 

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