So when a person has an OD narcan is applied to kick off the opioids binding to the receptors. But narcan only last temporarily. So when narcan is applied and patient is taken to the hospital, what do they do next to treat the over dosage before narcan wears off? Do they just keep giving you narcan?
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They certainly can if they need to. Hospitals have all the Narcan they need, and can give it as a slow IV drip instead of a one-time nasal spray so that you get a gentle flow instead of a huge burst. Being able to dial the dose in is important, as our goal isn’t actually to kick off every molecule of opioid (which just precipitates awful withdrawal symptoms and makes people agitated) but rather to keep minimum breathing going.
Importantly, though, hospitals also have a lot of ways to ensure breathing for people who aren’t breathing on their own. Opioid overdose kills by suppressing breathing, so if you’re intubated and ventilated you’re not at much risk. Fentanyl has actually been widely used for sedating sick patients on ventilators for many years, long before it was on the streets, because the big downside doesn’t apply when we’re breathing for you.
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