A recent study published in Annals of Internal Medicine highlights that prescribing naloxone decreases the use of emergency room in patients taking opioids for pain. Glenn-Milo Santos, PhD, MPH, assistant professor in residence at the UC San Francisco School of Nursing contributed to the study, which was led by Phillip Coffin, MD, director of Substance Use Research at the San Francisco Department of Public Health. According to the release details, naloxone is a safe and effective antidote for opioid overdose that works by temporarily blocking opioid receptors.
In 2003, San Francisco became the first city to make naloxone available, reaching out to heroin users through community-based and syringe access programs. In this new study, selected clinics of the San Francisco Health Network, operated by the Health Department, began co-prescribing naloxone in 2013. For more detail, the article is available at:
- Getting OD antidote with painkillers may cut ER visits (Associated Press)
- Overdose antidote should go with pain prescriptions, study urges (SFGate)
- Prescribing Naloxone With Opioid Drugs Could Reduce The Risk of Overdose (Medical Daily)
- Medication to reverse drug overdoses now available without prescription (KGO-TV)