What It's Like To Reverse An Overdose, According To A Long Valley Nurse

LONG VALLEY, NJ — As opiate use and addiction rises in New Jersey, more and more police officers have begun carrying Narcan, a fast-acting overdose reversal medication. Patch has told you before about police officers using the medication to save lives, but what is it actually like?

Tamara Ochs, a registered nurse from Long Valley, knows first-hand. She assisted Washington Township Police last Friday as they worked to reverse an overdose.

Ochs was driving down Old Farmers Road when she saw a man laying on the driveway, his parents standing over him.

When she pulled over to help, she saw the severity of the situation. "I turned around, he was barely breathing, I turned him over — pinpoint pupils, no response to a sternal rub. Then he stopped breathing, [he had] no pulse," she told Patch.

Ochs, a nurse at Overlook Hospital in Summit, administered CPR as they waited for police to arrive and told Patch she held the man's head as police administered Narcan.

"He would have been severely brain damaged or dead if I had driven past," Ochs said.

When people die from overdoses, it's most commonly because they stop breathing. While Narcan reverses that effect, it must be administered as soon as possible otherwise, without oxygen, brain damage can occur.

Narcan works to reverse overdoses by blocking opioid receptors in the brain. Within five minutes, someone on the brink of death can be conscious and breathing on their own if given the right dose. It's most commonly given as a nasal spray, making it relatively easy to administer.

Police officers across the country have begun equipping all their officers with the reversal drug, often times donated by nearby hospitals.

“Narcan can provide our first responders with a window of opportunity that can save a life,” Trinitas Regional Medical Center President & CEO Gary S. Horan previously told Patch. His hospital group donated Narcan to all Union County, New Jersey, police officers.

After being given Narcan, the Long Valley man regained consciousness and was taken to a nearby hospital.

For Ochs, speaking out was not about "looking for fame and fortune, [I] think it's important people get the full story," she told Patch.

And, as Narcan shows us, even a few minutes can be the difference between life and death.

"Weird thing is, the only reason I was on that road was my son missed the bus and I wanted a coffee. Otherwise, I would have taken another route," Ochs said.

Image via Narcan