Narcan Used in Heroin Overdose in Helmetta

Helmetta, NJ - A person who had overdosed on heroin in Helmetta was saved after Spotswood officers used Narcan Monday.

The incident happened at 7:40 p.m. Monday, Spotswood police said, as Spotswood officers were called in to administer their department-issued Narcan (Naloxone).

The victim was unresponsive and Helmetta patrolmen Baltazar and Worster had already begun rescue breaths when Spotswood arrived on the scene. After two Narcan deployments, the victim regained consciousness.

The victim was subsequently turned over Helmetta police and Spotswood EMS.

Narcan has proven to be extremely effective in preventing heroin overdoses that might otherwise be fatal. How does it work? Opiates such as heroin, and painkillers like morphine, codeine, oxycodone, methadone and vicodin can cause someone’s breathing to dramatically slow down, or even stop. It can be impossible to “wake” someone who has fallen into this state. And even just one minute of lost oxygen can mean devastating and irreversible brain damage.

Narcan is given either by an intramuscular injection into the arm, thigh or buttocks, or via a nasal spray. The drug can revive an unconscious person within 5 minutes, and often much quicker than that. Narcan works by knocking out of the opiate receptors in the brain. Many police departments now carry Narcan syringes, or, in some bigger cities, the nasal spray.

Image: “Naloxone (1)“ by Intropin - Own work. Licensed under CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons