Pharmacies in Imperial, Grant have no-cost Narcan
According to the Centers for Disease Control, synthetic opioids, like fentanyl, are the primary driver of overdose deaths in the United States and deaths are skyrocketing.
From 2019-2021, overdose deaths involving opioids rose 38.1%, and overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids (primarily illicitly manufactured fentanyl) rose 55.6%, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Illicit fentanyl, primarily manufactured in foreign clandestine labs and smuggled into the United States, is being distributed across the country and sold on the illegal drug market, according to the CDC.
Fentanyl is 100 times more potent than morphine and is being mixed with other illicit drugs to increase the potency of the drug, sold as powders and nasal sprays and increasingly pressed into pills made to look like legitimate prescription opioids. These counterfeit pills often contain lethal doses of fentanyl, CDC officials say.
It is possible for someone to take a pill without knowing it contains fentanyl. It is also possible to take a pill knowing it contains fentanyl, but with no way of knowing if it contains a lethal dose, according to the CDC.
Opioid crisis
The explosion of opioid deaths in the U.S. has presented a huge problem for not only the U.S. citizen population, but also for law enforcement and health facilities.
Because of this, the Nebraska Pharmacists Association, or NPA, set out in 2021 to do something about it, which led to a program that counteracts the problem of opioid related deaths head on with Narcan®️.
Similar to what an EpiPen does for someone having an allergic reaction, Narcan®️ nasal spray does for the person who is overdosing on opioids.
However, the effects of the spray is temporary and medical help is needed as soon as possible to save someone who is overdosing on an opioid, according to the Stop Overdose Nebraska website: stopodne.com.
According to the website, since most accidental overdoses occur in a home setting, Narcan® was developed for first responders, as well as family, friends and caregivers with no medical training required, according to the Stop Overdose Nebraska website.
In 2021, the NPA launched the program with the Department of Health and Human Services and local pharmacies, to make Narcan® available, free-of-charge, to everyone.
The Narcan program is funded in whole by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Center for Substance Abuse Treatment.
A total of $90,000 and 100% of project funding is sub-granted through the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Behavioral Health.
Not just for addicts
The program isn’t just for those who abuse or are addicted to opioids, according to Jason Burke of Imperial, owner of Grant Pharmacy in Grant.
It is for anyone taking prescription opioids who wants the reassurance of having a solution in case an accidental overdose happens.
Burke said he has never personally seen an accidental overdose of opioids, but he knows someone that it has happened to.
Accidental overdose of opioids is possible, and easier to happen than one thinks, he said.
Burke gave an example of how an opioid overdose could happen.
A person is just being released from the hospital after surgery and the hospital gives them an opioid pill before being discharged. If that person arrives home and his/her caregiver is unaware the hospital already gave the person a pill, or if the person themselves forgets they have already taken a dose and they take another one too soon, they could have an overdose, he said.
“Having Narcan® on hand for those moments would be life-saving,” Burke said.
In the past two years he’s been involved with the program, Burke said he has only given out a few doses of Narcan®.
This is also true at Adams Drug in Imperial, which is part of the statewide Narcan® program, according to pharmacy tech Amber Yaw.
Yaw said the Imperial pharmacy also has not given out a great deal of the medicine, but said she feels it is a good program and glad it is available to the public.
Both Yaw and Burke believe the program isn’t utilized like it could be because of the continued stigma of opioids and addiction. Burke said this is unfortunate.
“If there are opioids present in a home with small children, or anyone that is taking an opioid for pain relief, having Narcan® available just in case there is an accidental overdose is a good idea,” he said.
He also said it would be a good idea for college students to carry it, or for anyone who is around others they know who are addicted to or abuses opioids.
Nebraska pharmacies
There are nearly 100 pharmacies in Nebraska that are part of the program.
A list of those pharmacies can be found at stopodne.com, along with additional information.
Those in Imperial and Grant who would like to get the spray, or who want more information, can stop into Adams Drug or the Grant Pharmacy.
The program is free-of-charge, and only a little bit of information is needed, Burke said.
Nebraska Pharmacists
Association statement
Pharmacists and pharmacy practices across Nebraska who are participating in the Statewide Naloxone Program have been, and will continue to be, instrumental in helping patients get access to no cost Narcan, and other supportive therapies to help reduce the risk of an opioid-related overdose.
“Naloxone becoming available over-the-counter is a step in the right direction and will allow us to get naloxone out to more people across the state,” said Nebraska Pharmacists Association’s project coordinator Amy Holman.
The timeline for availability and pricing for over-the-counter access to naloxone has yet to be determined by the manufacturer. Nebraskans can still find a participating pharmacy to access no cost Narcan on the Stop Overdose Nebraska website.