By Sandy Jiang
Staff Writer
There is no doubt that opioid overdoses have plagued the nation, driven by media, counterfeit pills and illicit drug use. Just in 2022, opioid overdoses made up around 80% of the approximately 108,000 drug-related deaths. However, due to the growing popularity of Narcan, a life-saving drug that temporarily reverses the effects of an opioid overdose, overdose rates have plummeted about 10% between April 2023 and April 2024.
Opioids are a drug class prescribed primarily to treat moderate to severe pain, usually after a surgery or to relieve pain in cancer patients. Common opioids are fentanyl, morphine, heroin, oxycodone and hydrocodone. These drugs release very large amounts of dopamine, which creates the addicting factor. Fentanyl is considered stronger and quicker than other opioids, which heightens the chance of overdose. Symptoms of an opioid overdose include but aren’t limited to confusion, respiratory depression, vomiting and loss of consciousness.
Although counseling and education can help prevent illicit opioid use, the possibility of consuming counterfeit pills or being drugged calls for a more effective approach —preparation is still the key to saving someone’s life. To prepare for a potential opioid overdose on campus, the nurse’s office is stocked with Narcan in the Fentanyl Overdose Kit.
“I think it promotes safe schools and our readiness to respond,” District Nurse and Registered Nurse Crystal Pabalan said. “We know that we cannot control and avoid all things but we can have certain measures in place to keep students as safe as possible. And first and foremost we can save a person’s life because we know that overdoses are deadly and have increased significantly in the last 10 years. It’s a reality, and we have to make sure we are ready to face it.”
Although all staff are trained to administer Narcan, anybody can carry and use Narcan without a license or age requirement, which encourages public safety and awareness. As easy as it is to administer Narcan, you should stay calm and assess the situation before approaching. For example, giving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to someone who orally ingested fentanyl puts you at risk of possibly ingesting it yourself. To counteract this, the Fentanyl Overdose Kit includes a CPR mask to assist with resuscitation. The kit also includes gloves, a cover sheet with instructions, a standing order from the California Department of Public Health, an incident report form, a Medication Administration Form and a pencil.
“Non-medical personnel may be afraid to give Narcan to someone overdosing, but in reality, if there are no opioids in their system, Narcan cannot do anything or harm the person you accidentally gave it to,” Pabalan said. “We are protected under the Good Samaritan law –if anyone volunteered to help in an emergency and administer Narcan, then they won’t be held liable if that person didn’t need it. As scary as it is to be in that situation, you will be protected by the law. When in doubt, treat, because we’d all rather be safe.”
Some LA County Libraries and local pharmacies give out free Narcan boxes by request, regardless of age and insurance.