East Texas law enforcement receives doses of life saving medication
Naloxone, commonly known as Narcan, is an FDA approved over-the -counter medication in the nasal spray form.
TYLER, Texas (KLTV) - The internasal spray form of Naloxone, or Narcan, is proven to rapidly reverse an opioid overdose, and the Smith County Sheriff’s Department received nearly 100 doses of it at the Emergency Operations Center Tuesday.
“I feel like more people will have it on hand, because it is like a fire extinguisher – you really want to have it and not need it,” said Abigail Riley, a registered nurse from CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances who not only delivered the medicine to the deputies but also taught them how to administer it in an emergency.
She said the nasal spray is simple to administer if you remember the three P’s: peel, place, and press.
Peel the container back to get to the spray bottle, place the nozzle in the nostril, and press down on the middle cylinder to push the medicine into the nose.
“We have a Narcan distribution program. Sometimes we have samples in clinic for patients that can’t afford it. We have samples that we will allocate to law enforcement if we hear that there is a need,” she said, adding that they also supply Tyler ISD schools with the nasal spray.
One package containing two doses costs around $45 and lasts about three years. Experts recommend replacing the expired and unused doses with new ones to ensure the medicine is the most effective.
Anyone who administers Naloxone in good faith to someone they believe is suffering from an opioid overdose is protected legally by Texas Senate Bill 1462.
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