It’s possible to stop a heroin overdose death with this drug

The Seattle Police Department responded to at least six heroin overdoses Monday afternoon.

“We don’t know exactly why,” said Detective Drew Fowler.

The rate the overdoses were occurring led police to believe the heroin people took was either stronger than usual, or there was “something” in it, according to Fowler.

If people choose to take heroin, police urge them to use it with other people so there is always someone to assist in a crisis.

“Granted, we would prefer people aren’t using illegal drugs, but if they do, we don’t want someone hurting themselves or dying,” added Fowler.

Heroin use and subsequent overdoses are on the rise nationwide, and opiate-involved deaths have more than doubled in Washington state over the past 15 years.

Though an antidote to opiate overdose is available, there are still legal barriers to getting that drug in the hands of addicts and the people who care about them.

University of Washington research scientist Caleb Banta-Green educates communities about preventing overdose deaths.

“It’s a massive public health crisis. We have more than 500 people a year dying in Washington State from opiate overdoses,” he said.

Opiate addiction is relatively common and increasing dramatically according to Banta-Green. “It happens across demographic, financial, geographic lines.”

When Banta-Green started working with heroin users 20 years ago it became clear to him that users’ brains change as their addiction grows.

“One of my patients said to me, ‘I had an interesting conversation with my girlfriend yesterday. We both agreed that we love heroin way more than we love each other.’ That’s the level at which we’re talking,” Banta-Green said.

While the drug proliferates in our state, overdose deaths are no longer just an urban phenomenon. They reach beyond the I-5 corridor into suburban and rural areas.

Rep. Brady Walkinshaw represents Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood in Olympia, but he grew up in rural Whatcom County.

“We have some of the highest rates up in Northwest Washington,” Walkinshaw said. Whatcom and Skagit counties are on the rise as well. “Southwest Washington, by the Oregon border, very high rates in those counties,(too).

“King County has similarly seen a spike, as well as east of the mountains.”

Through the People’s Harm Reduction Alliance, Shilo Murphy provides needle exchange programs for intravenous drug users in Seattle. As the board president of three nonprofits, he’s incredibly active in his University District community.

He’s also a heroin user. A drug dealer first shot Murphy up while he was living on the streets as a teenager.

“I describe it as being hit with a mac-truck of a fluffy pillow. You suddenly have this euphoria of numbness. Your body relaxes,” he described. “You can imagine, if someone has a lot of trauma and pain, why that would be a great feeling.”

The People’s Harm Reduction Alliance’s goal is to prevent the spread of HIV and Hepatitis C, and for those who want it, provide an access point for drug treatment options.

“Those people desperately need services and need compassion,” Murphy said. “It’s really important that they have places they can go to feel loved and respected.”

Murphy and his colleagues also hand out a drug that could mean the difference between life and death for opiate users.

It’s called Naloxone, also known by the brand name, Narcan. It’s an opioid antagonist, a safe, instant, easy-to-use medication that will save an addict’s life during an overdose.

“An opiate overdose involves a person’s breathing slowing down, slowly, and eventually they start to run out of oxygen, become unconscious, and they can die,” explained Banta-Green. “But that usually takes minutes, to hours, to occur.”

When a user shows symptoms of an overdose, Naloxone can be injected or applied intranasally. It acts as an antidote, binding to opiate receptors in the brain and blocking opiates.

According to Banta-Green, it’s a short-acting solution, and users still need medical attention.

Simply put, Naloxone pushes an opioid user into immediate withdrawal. That’s important, said Banta-Green, because it keeps Naloxone from becoming habit forming.

“It wakes them up. It saves their life. They feel terrible, they feel like they’re dying,” he said.

Banta-Green said research shows average people can recognize an overdose as effectively as a medical provider.

“If you suspect a person has been taking opiates, and the person is unconscious, you can’t wake them up, you should assume they’re having an overdose,” he explained. “You should call 911. [Then] give them a couple rescue breaths to see if that wakes them up. If it doesn’t, give them Naloxone. If that doesn’t wake them up, keep doing rescue breathing until paramedics show up. ”

“Increasing access to this is an effort that would truly save lives in our state,” Walkinshaw said.

Naloxone has been available by prescription to individuals at risk for having or witnessing an overdose since Washington’s 2010 Good Samaritan Law went into effect.

That legislation offers legal protection against drug possession charges to anyone who calls police to report an overdose. Anyone can also turn drugs over to police for destruction.

But Walkinshaw is concerned there are still barriers to getting the anti-overdose drug in the hands of people who most need it. There are about 17 locations to get Naloxone in the state, including a handful of clinics and pharmacies.

“Perhaps a police chief would like to clarify the law so that his officers could more freely carry this drug, or their first responders who frequently interact with heroin overdoses,” he said.

A new bill Walkinshaw introduced in Olympia would mean Naloxone can now be prescribed to organizations that have staff likely to see overdoses.

“They could have Narcan or Naloxone on stock in the facility, much like schools have epinephrine in stock,” he explained.

Walkinshaw’s bill has bipartisan support. On Monday it passed the House with a vote of 96-1. It will now be considered in the Senate.

Murphy knows firsthand the dire need to keep Naloxone on-hand for heroin users.

“I’ve had seven overdoses. There’s seven chances that I needed Narcan or I wouldn’t be here today.” Murphy said other drug users saved his life when he overdosed.

Experts agree that everyone at risk for having or witnessing someone having an overdose should carry Naloxone.

Murphy said it will take more than a short-term antidote to save the lives of users like his friends and colleagues. He believes the stigma surrounding drug use must be addressed so users get the help they need, before it’s too late.

He recalled the story of one volunteer at the The People’s Harm Reduction Alliance who recently overdosed.

“She felt like she couldn’t even tell us that she was using again. She died with Narcan in her back pocket,” he said. “She couldn’t communicate about her drug use because of stigma. For me, that’s a heartbreak.”

For resources on heroin overdoses, go to StopOverdose.org for more information.