“Hon?”
“I’m in a meeting, is this important?”
“Where is the extra Narcan?”
“What? Wait what do you mean, what is going on?”
“I think C overdosed. I gave him the Narcan you gave this morning before you left for your meeting. He’s breathing now, but not waking up”.
“You have to call 911, you can’t just give him Narcan.”
It was the first day of the ASA Annual Meeting. I was so excited to attend – had several presentations and was an ASA delegate. We were at a Caucus meeting when I received the above phone call. My spouse had heard a loud thud coming from the back of the house and found my son lying on the floor in one of the bathrooms on his stomach, wedged in an area by the bathroom and sink. My spouse was able to move him enough to administer the Narcan. He started breathing. He was alive.
My son had actually thrown away all the vials of Narcan we had the day prior without telling us. I checked our supply regularly; when I didn’t see the Narcan vials that morning, I searched for them. Luckily, I found them in one of our recycle bins. I gave one vial to my spouse before I left for the ASA, because I was worried that if C found it, he would just throw it away again. C had been spiraling with a combination of depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, and polypharmacy use. My spouse put the vial I gave him in his pocket, and I kept the other.
“Call 911 right now “, I am coming home”
The Paramedics arrived; administered more Narcan; took him to the ED where he was immediately intubated. He was extubated the next morning and put on suicide watch.
Narcan truly saved his life. It has been a very difficult year since, but he is still alive.
We had received our supply of Narcan as a prescription from C’s psychiatrist. I had gone to the pharmacy prior to that and asked for it. The pharmacy in my lovely college based suburban town was quite flustered at my request. She was unwilling to just give it me, and told me without a prescription it was quite expensive ( a few hundred dollars). At that time she didn’t think she was allowed to just hand it out, so I asked my son’s psychiatrist for prescription. It takes advocacy and chutzpah at every turn, to advocate for one’s own child.
My son has struggled with mental health issues since he was a little boy. He discovered the “benefits” of marijuana when he was 14. Over time he progressed to other medications. He has been in and out of treatment for years. Addiction is a brutal disease. Well at least he is not using opioids….and then he discovered fentanyl…… well at least he is not injecting …….. and then he was. We didn’t realize he was injecting opioids until he overdosed. It has taken a while to overcome the guilt of not recognizing that sooner.
Thanks to the ASA and other organizations, Narcan is now available both by prescription and OVER THE COUNTER. ASA member Dr. Milas testified to the FDA and in front of congress to help get this approval. Narcan is still cheaper by prescription, but there is much less hassle trying to get it over the counter – minimizing barriers for safety’s sake is essential.
One year later, C is still alive, and I am preparing for another ASA meeting.
It has been difficult, with relapses and remissions. Addiction is terrifying, devastating and overwhelming, but at least my son is still alive thanks to Narcan.
For more information and resources on the opioid crises and community-based use of Narcan go to https://www.asahq.org/advocating-for-you/reviveme.