The Rural Barrier to Overdose Prevention
We know that the Tarzana Treatment Centers website gets visitors from outside of our service areas. So, we often post articles from out of state and relate them to local trends.
An article posted by KATU in the Northwest brings to light a problem reported by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It says that Naloxone, a medication that stops overdoses as they occur, is not widely available in rural areas.
In a report released Tuesday, Aug. 6, on the CDC’s Vital Signs website, researchers explain that, “too few doctors are prescribing naloxone to patients receiving high-dose opioids or opioids plus benzodiazepines or to those with a substance use disorder as recommended by CDC’s Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain.”
https://katu.com/news/recover-northwest/cdc-rural-areas-not-getting-enough-overdose-reversing-drugs
The report suggests that nearly 9 million more naloxone prescriptions could have been dispensed in 2018 if every patient with a high-dose opioid prescription were offered naloxone.
It is important for anyone who takes prescription opioids or uses heroin to have Naloxone available all of the time. Whether you are near one of our locations or outside of California, you need to get at least one dose. Naloxone is a legal medication, but availability varies by state. In some states you can pick it up at a pharmacy without a prescription, and others require a prescription and possibly a doctor visit.
In any case, that one dose may save your life.