Naloxone not enough to address opioid crisis says Sudbury addictions nurse
Sudbury Health Unit is using education, prevention to help improve the drug situation
Naloxone isn't always effective for those who have overdosed on opioids.
According to Health Canada, the antidote can be administered quickly to counter the effects of pain drug fentanyl, which can be deadly.
When someone overdoses, naloxone is used in a way similar to an Epi-pen used on someone having a severe allergic reaction.
Kits of naloxone are available from pharmacies, health units and outreach centres. In Sudbury and distributed by the Reseau Access Aids Network.
However, naloxone is a temporary fix to the opioid crisis, says Allan Malek with the Ontario Pharmacy Association.
Although he says a program that dispenses free naloxone kits is a great start, education and other drug strategies are still needed.
"There is a whole lot more that has to be done."
"[Naloxone] is a reactive. It's a retrospective initiative. It's not the answer to our opioid crisis," says Malek.
Other unknown substances out there
Sudbury public health nurse Brenda Stankiewicz agrees that education, awareness and prevention are needed to address the drug crisis.
Although naloxone is effective for stopping the action of opioids on the brain, Stankiewicz says, the antidote can't help a user who may have overdosed on an unidentified drug.
"We really don't know what [drugs are] out there or what is in the substances people are using," says Stankiewicz.
"It's a tough world for people who are using substances right now. They don't want to die, but they do want their high."
Stankiewicz says the Sudbury and District Health Unit is trying to reach out to those who use drugs to help them understand how they can use safely.
The health unit advises drug users to start with a small amount, and if they choose to use drugs always have another person nearby when getting high.
According to Stankiewicz, community partners in Sudbury are working on an opioid drug strategy.
Northern Ontario has some of the highest rates of opioid related deaths in the province.
[MEDIA
With files from Wendy Bird