Grand posturing or effective help?
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A Twice Daily convenience store in Midtown Nashville has become the first of its kind to provide free opioid overdose reversal medication to the community.
In an initiative led by Fund Recovery, a vending machine stocked with Narcan — a brand name of the medication Naloxone — was installed outside the store Tuesday.
The store, located at 1702 West End Avenue, held a ribbon-cutting event to celebrate the project.
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Naloxone vending machines are also available at two Davidson County Sheriff’s Office facilities: at the Downtown Detention Center on James Robertson Parkway and its Harding Place facility.
Narcan vending machine opens at convenience store in Midtown Nashville, TN
I have stated before that if you have a friend or relative with an opiate problem, it makes sense to have Narcan with you in case of an overdose if you are around. Or even if they do not have a problem but are prescribed pain killers for a legitimate reason because there is always a chance of a bad reaction or an accidental OD.
But if you are suddenly overdosing and slipping into death, there is little chance you will make it to the location, operate the machine and get a dose even if you happen to be sitting next to it. At best you would hope somebody sees you about to die and intervenes. And pretty much the same for carrying your own dosage: by the time you realize (if you do) you a spiraling down the drain, it may be too late to get the inhaler out.
I hope I am wrong, and this leads to many saved lives. But I fear I won’t be wrong.
Not sure how I feel about it in vending machines and an unmonitored giveaway.
However, I've been on pain meds for 20 years (6 spine surgeries to date). VA prescribes and keeps me current with Narcan just in case, which makes sense to me. I figure there is a .001% chance I'd ever need it, but then I have fire extinguishers in my home, too. The key to having Narcan in the home is having someone ELSE knowing where it is and how to administer it. Like CPR, knowing oneself is of little value.
Best carry more than one dose as that sometimes (often?) isn't enough from what I see in stories. Also an issue with it is how it works. The recipient is immediately brought down from their high but still have the craving and may go right back out and hit the opioid again.