Local Authorities Use Narcan to Revive Man Who Overdosed on Opioids

Littleton police said they used Narcan to revive a man who overdosed on opioids Friday.

The man was driven to the police station and the driver said his passenger passed out. Officers found the man was not breathing and had a weak pulse so they started administering oxygen. Deputy Fire Chief Thomas Clancy arrived and administered Narcan to the man, who soon regained consciousness. He was transported to a local hospital and expected to survive.

Littleton Police Chief Matthew King said it was one of eight overdoses in town in the last few months.

“Narcan is a lifesaving drug,” Police Chief Matthew King said in a statement. “Thanks to quick actions by Littleton Police Officers and Firefighters, and thanks to Narcan, we are not dealing with the tragic loss of life in this situation.

“But we are mindful that drug overdose is an extremely serious issue, and lifesaving methods are just pieces of the bigger puzzle, which includes education, prevention, and aggressive pursuit of drug traffickers and suppliers.”

Gov. Deval Patrick earlier this year declared opioid abuse in the Bay State a public crisis.

Narcan is an “opioid antagonist,” which means it displaces opioid drugs from receptors in the brain and can immediately reverse the effects of an overdose. Narcan is administered nasally, has few side effects, and it will not harm a patient who has not overdosed. Nasal Narcan does not use needles/sharps, further increasing its safety. Narcan can be used to reverse heroin overdose, as well as overdoses of OxyContin, Percocet, Percodan, and hydrocodone drugs like Vicodin.

Photo credit: zamboni-man via Flickr