How does Narcan actually work, what does it do to a person who had overdosed on opioids? Also after being given a dose of Narcan, why do the EMTs always take the person to the ER?
In: Chemistry
Basically: Naloxone very strongly binds to the same receptors opioids do, but doesn’t activate then. This rapidly displaces the opioids and largely prevents them from acting.
One huge issue is that Naloxone is eliminated from the body much faster than many opioids (especially for delayed release prescription pills), and it’s possible to relapse into an overdosed state hours after the initial administration of naloxone.
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