Now Prescribing Naloxone to Save Lives
Tarzana Treatment Centers is now prescribing Naloxone to save the lives of individuals who believe they, or someone they know, is at risk for a future overdose. Overdose deaths have been on the rise over the past several years, mainly due to a spike in prescription painkiller and heroin use. Enter Naloxone, an effective medication used to reverse an opioid overdose. It halts the respiratory depression caused by an opioid and greatly reduces the chance that the event will lead to a fatality.
We are both grateful for this national effort that is using Naloxone to reverse a terrifying trend, and proud to be in a position where we can help to potentially save a lot of lives.
For more information on how to obtain a prescription, please contact us at 888-777-8565 or submit a request through our secure contact form.
Our goal with substance use treatment is abstinence for each and every client. Someday that may be a reality. For now, we accept that harm reduction needs to be a part of the journey to recovery for some addicts. With this in mind, we make available several forms of Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) so that alcoholics and addicts can be safely on the road to recovery.
Naloxone’s purpose is, hopefully, to be a one-time use drug that prevents an accidental death. Along with probably saving a life, the close call may and should be a gateway to getting on and staying on the road to recovery. When that decision is made, they will know that TTC is just a call away for medical detoxification and treatment.
Remember that overdoses are usually, by definition, caused by taking more of a drug than a body can handle. They often occur when an addict leaves treatment and relapses, thinking that his body can handle the same large dose that he took before detoxing. His body’s tolerance for the drug is not the same as before, though, so he will go into respiratory depression. TTC might prescribe Naloxone when patients discharge from treatment as a safeguard. Doing so is not an invitation to relapse, but more of a warning about what may occur if they do.
The overdose epidemic has gotten so bad that the Washington Post recently reported that, in one county, 8 overdoses were reported within 70 minutes. This story is an example of what is happening all across the nation, and the numbers don’t get a reaction out of heroin addicts. To put it bluntly; if they won’t stop, we need to make sure they don’t die and can have another chance at life.