Gulf Breeze Recovery Comments on New Opioid Antidote Alternative to Narcan
GULF BREEZE, Fla. (PRWEB) April 17, 2019 -- With Fentanyl overdose deaths continuing to claim lives and keeping the opioid crisis in the headlines, scientists are working to curb the death toll by looking for an alternative to naloxone. Researchers are presenting their findings to the American Chemical Society Spring 2019 National Meeting & Exposition this week.
Naloxone (often known by the name brand Narcan) has been utilized increasingly since the opioid crisis began to reverse overdoses from heroin and other opioids. The problem with Fentanyl is that it is a long-acting opioid. It can be absorbed in fat tissue, which does not allow it to be metabolized right away. The body slowly releases the drug from the fat tissue over the course of several hours. Naloxone, which only acts in the body for about 30 minutes, does not last for long enough to fully counter Fentanyl. Often, for Fentanyl overdoses, multiple naloxone injections are needed over a period of time to reverse the overdose. Sometimes, tragically, even multiple doses are not enough.
To overcome this challenge, researchers are developing a delivery system in which a dose of an opioid antagonist will be delivered over the course of 24 hours.
"Ultimately, we hope to develop a therapeutic intervention for fentanyl overdose that can be used in the field, perhaps supplanting short-acting naloxone as an overdose antidote of choice," says Saadyah Averick, Ph.D., a scientist at Allegheny Health Network Research Institute. "We anticipate that this drug delivery system will also be effective for other non-fentanyl opioids."
Barnett Gilmer, owner and CEO of Gulf Breeze Recovery, a non-12 step substance abuse treatment center in Florida, weighs in on the new developments.
“In the last couple of years, we have really seen an increase in people who are entering treatment for Fentanyl addiction. For those who have gotten clean for a period of time and subsequently relapsed, Fentanyl can be particularly deadly. The effects of a Fentanyl overdose are often so difficult to reverse that the consequences can be fatal. Unfortunately, too many people don’t get another chance to find recovery. Here at Gulf Breeze Recovery, we actually specialize in helping those who are struggling with chronic relapse. An opioid antidote that is effective for Fentanyl would mean that more people struggling with addiction will get the chance to actually try something different. It would mean another chance to save a life.”
About Gulf Breeze Recovery: Gulf Breeze Recovery is changing the future of addiction treatment with the THRIVE® program focused on overcoming chronic relapse. Gulf Breeze Recovery’s THRIVE® program is designed for those who are looking for a drug and alcohol treatment program to produce a different and positive result. This non-12 step program allows you to drive beyond your addictions and promotes a new outlook on life. For more information about our program or to speak with an Addiction’s expert, please call 855-973-3551 or contact us.
Barnett Gilmer, Gulf Breeze Recovery, https://www.gulfbreezerecovery.com/, 855-973-3551, [email protected]
Share this article