top of page
Asset 1.png

Deal Us In

10

of

Spades

Prioritize The Most Compassionate and Cost Effective Naloxone

Expensive high dose formulations of naloxone can push people into abrupt withdrawal, resulting in pain and trauma.* Intramuscular naloxone is cost effective and is often preferred by people who use drugs.**

Prioritize The Most Compassionate and Cost Effective Naloxone

What You Need To Know

  • Higher dose naloxone is expensive and dangerous. People deserve a choice in formulation, but in order to reach naloxone saturation IM naloxone should be prioritized.

  • We should be funding the purchase of formularies that effectively meet the needs of individuals that have overdosed and invest back into the harm reduction community such as RiViveTM and Remedy Alliance

  • One common misunderstanding is that a higher dose, or multiple doses in quick succession, makes naloxone work faster or that the overdose reversal was only successful based on the number of doses used. This misunderstanding is exploited by manufacturers of higher-dose naloxone products.

  • All formulations and potencies of naloxone take 1-3 minutes (average) to begin to take effect–sometimes longer–and any form of naloxone may possibly require a subsequent dose after the first few minutes, depending on the overdose.

  • When the naloxone reaches peak concentration (approximately 30 mins for 4mg nasal and 25 mins for IM) an opioid dependent person may feel varying intensity of withdrawal symptoms depending on the quantity of naloxone administered. 

  • Bigger doses cause worse withdrawal symptoms. Extreme withdrawal experiences are potentially dangerous, painful and traumatizing. It can result in negative feelings towards naloxone and people who administered it, or result in more concealment of drug use to avoid having naloxone administered.

  • The introduction of an 8 mg IN naloxone product and the potential future introduction of a similarly potent nalmefene product with longer duration of action could plausibly lead some people who use opioids to avoid carrying it.


Here is what participants told Michigan Drug Users Health Alliance about how it felt to be revived with high dose naloxone:


Where to Go for More Information


Programs To Know



Research

bottom of page