Naloxone in Opioid Emergency Response

Based in Manassas, Virginia, Dr. Joel Match earned his pre-med degree at the University of Miami in Florida, and his MD at the Autonomous University of Guadalajara in Mexico. He has three decades of experience both within the United States and internationally in Obstetrics and Gynecology. In 2016, Dr. Joel Match joined the Addiction Care and Treatment Center in Woodbridge,Va as their director of medical practice, where he helps treat people with opioid use disorders.

Opioid disorders come with a very high risk of overdose. This can often cause respiratory depression, or shallow breathing that leads to a potentially fatal buildup of carbon dioxide in the lungs. One of the ways to reverse this overdose effect is to administer Naloxone, a fast-acting substance that binds with opioid molecules in the bloodstream to block or reverse their effects.

The FDA-approved forms of Naloxone exist either as an injection into the muscle or veins, or as a pre-packaged nasal spray. Healthcare practitioners are generally responsible for injecting naloxone using a syringe; outside of a medical environment, the nasal spray is permissible and simple enough for a person without training to use in an emergency. Naloxone, however, is not meant for regular use or as a form of therapy since it does not address the other effects of opioid dependency. It is also necessary to inform emergency services of someone having an overdose even if they receive the spray. The substance is only active for 30 to 90 minutes in the body, after which the person might continue to have breathing trouble.