LIFE-SAVING KIT
It can take less than 10 minutes to get a naloxone kit from a pharmacist. It’s free, and you need nothing more than a health card. With it you can save the life of someone who has overdosed on opioids, or keep the victim alive until paramedics arrive.
As more stories of teen drug overdoses emerge, health officials have been trying to spread the word about an antidote they say can save lives.
Many Ottawa pharmacies carry naloxone. It is provincially covered — meaning it’s free to pick up — and can prevent death by opioid overdose.
On Monday morning, I visited an Ottawa pharmacy to find out how people can access a naloxone overdose kit and how to use it.
It was as simple as approaching the pharmacy’s counter and asking for naloxone. No questions. No money. Just a health card and some time.
I handed over my card and prepared for a lengthy wait. But in a matter of minutes, a pharmacist called me to the consultation counter with an easy smile and a blue zippered pouch in hand.
First, he told me how glad he was that I had a naloxone kit. He said he wished more people did because they can save lives.
The pharmacist questioned who the kit was for and whether they were seeking treatment, but he didn’t demand any intimate details or provide me with any extra information.
He unzipped the pouch and emptied its contents onto the counter: a paper instruction slip, plastic gloves, two alcohol swabs, a CPR breathing barrier, two needles and two tiny vials of naloxone.
The instruction sheet, titled “5 steps to save a life,” identifies types of opioids, the symptoms of an opioid overdose and how to use the kit’s items to help someone suffering from an opioid overdose.
The pharmacist went through the steps with me, pausing to let me take notes. He emphasized that bystanders should call 911 as soon as an opioid overdose is suspected, because naloxone isn’t certain to
revive everyone.
It can take about 10 to 15 minutes for first responders to arrive at the scene, he added, so the sooner a call is made, the better the victim’s chances of survival.
He picked up a single dose of the amber-coloured naloxone (one millilitre) and pulled off the plastic cover, showing me how I could quickly snap the glass top off. Then, a bystander would siphon the liquid into the needle and use an alcohol swab to disinfect the victim’s skin before injecting the vial’s contents into an upper arm or thigh muscle.
The victim won’t wake up immediately, the pharmacist said. He told me that I would need to do chest compressions for three to five minutes.
The instruction sheet provides a small illustration and says to “push hard and fast on the centre of the chest.”
If the victim is still unconscious, the pharmacist said, bystanders should use the second vial of naloxone and repeat chest compressions.
He said the ambulance would likely be there by that point to provide proper medical care.
If successful, naloxone will put opioid overdose survivors into withdrawal. They might be unhappy, but they’ll be alive, the pharmacist remarked.
In less than 10 minutes, I had my very own naloxone kit. I might not have been an expert, but I left the pharmacy with the basic tools and knowledge that could save a life in the midst of an opioid crisis.