Lifesaving drug used 461 times in 2023: Naloxone could be difference when overdose occurs

Naloxone, the potentially life-saving anti-overdose drug, was administered on 461 occasions nationwide last year, with 16% of those administrations made in Cork.

Figures provided by the HSE also showed that, so far this year, there have been 242 administrations nationwide — 19% of which were made in Cork.

Out of the administrations made this year, 70% have been given to men and 30% have been given to women.

The figures further revealed that 22% of those who required a naloxone dose this year also required CPR. This amounts to a 3% increase on the number of people who required CPR in 2023.

For someone experiencing an overdose, naloxone can help to keep them alive until an ambulance arrives.

The drug regulates the effects of an opioid for up to 90 minutes.

Speaking to The Echo, HSE National Social Inclusion team member and the naloxone project lead, Jenny Smyth, said: “It’s really important for family members of drug users to recognise an opioid overdose.”

Ms Smyth continued: “For example, if someone is having an overdose they will be unresponsive, they may have pale or clammy skin, pinpoint pupils, and their nails and lips may go a blue tone if they’re white, or a grey tone if they’re black. They’ll also have shallow breathing, their blood pressure will drop, and their heart rate will slow.

“So, if you administer naloxone, it’s going to kick that opioid off the receptor and allow the message through, so the body can then become responsive and regulate breathing. Any member of the public would be able to use it, it’s not a complicated thing,” she added.

“To be able to do that for your family or your loved one while you’re waiting for an ambulance, you could save their life.”

The Minister for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drugs Strategy, Colm Burke, said: 

“Getting more people with problematic drug use into treatment is a key step in reducing the risk of drug overdose. As a society, we must do more to reduce the risk of drug overdoses.”

The HSE, National Ambulance Service (NAS) and community first responders hosted a public CPR and naloxone demonstration event in Cork at the weekend to mark International Overdose Awareness Day.

The event aimed to help to reduce drug harm and deaths in local communities, by inviting members of the public to take part in the interactive demonstration that could lead to a lifesaving intervention for someone experiencing an opioid overdose.

The event came under the campaign #TogetherWeCan which raises awareness of the issue of overdose and promotes action and discussion about evidence-based overdose prevention.

During the event, it was demonstrated how naloxone is administered intranasally, and how the medication is used to temporarily reverse the effects of opioid drugs.