Opioids in Minnesota: Naloxone, SUD, MAT & MOUD

This month during National Substance Abuse Prevention Month, Essentia Health with Leighton Broadcasting and LAKES TV3 are bringing you a series to learn more about the opioid crises in our communities. What are opioids? Why is this happening? What can we do about it? How can we help? These are some of the questions we’re tackling in this series.

WHAT IS NALOXONE?

There’s something that’s helping to reduce opioid overdose deaths. It’s a drug-reversal agent called Naloxone.

Naloxone is safe and rapidly reverses an opioid overdose. Naloxone is not a controlled or illegal substance and it has no effect on an individual unless they are experiencing an overdose. In other words, you can’t harm someone by administering Naloxone even if they’re not experiencing an overdose.

Naloxone is the official name for the drug reversal but most people are familiar with the name Narcan which is the nasal spray. The two are basically the same. The difference is just how they are administered. Narcan is a nasal spray and Naloxone is injected into the muscle.

Police officers, emergency medical technicians, and first responders are trained on how to give naloxone. And, it can be also administered by basically anyone. The nasal spray is the simplest form to administer. Simple training can also be provided for Naloxone to make you feel more comfortable administering it.

Want to hear something scary? People are more likely today to have to administer Naloxone than they will be needed to assist with first aid CPR or an AED machine.

Everyone should basically have naloxone nearby and let people know where it is. People should still call 911 immediately in the event of an overdose.

In some areas, you can get naloxone from pharmacies with or without a prescription, from community programs, or local health departments. The cost varies and you can use or not use your insurance for coverage. With some insurance, Naloxone is free.

But what does an overdose look like? Here are some signs of an opioid overdose when you may want to administer Naloxone.

● unconsciousness

● very small pupils

● slow or shallow breathing

● vomiting

● an inability to speak

● faint heartbeat

● limp arms and legs

● pale skin

● purple lips and fingernails

● drug paraphernalia present

Naloxone is like carrying an epi- pen. You don’t anticipate you’re going to use it but it’s there in case of an emergency.

Most street drugs nowadays contain Fentanyl. To save lives, fentanyl test strips are available. The strips help the user know if fentanyl is present in a substance. If fentanyl is present the likelihood of having a fatal overdose is extremely high. Testing the substance prior to using to see if it has fentanyl present or not…combined with having Naloxone on hand… AND not using alone, will save lives.

SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER

Addiction is a disease. It’s not a choice. Sometimes even your genetic makeup makes you predisposed to have a lifetime challenge with substance abuse.

The medical term for a person with addiction is Substance Use Disorder, or S U D. From a medical standpoint, substance use disorder is a treatable, chronic, medical condition that requires medical attention and management.

Without treatment or involvement in recovery programs, addiction may lead a person down a path where they’re unable to hold a job or manage life, which leads to risky behaviors… and can lead to early death.

Prevention efforts and treatment approaches for addiction are generally as successful as those for chronic diseases….especially with opioids or any poly substance… which is using a blend of more than one substance at a time.

If you or a loved one has a dependency on a substance or concerns about usage, the best way to know if you have substance use disorder is to speak with your doctor or primary health care provider for an assessment.

Medical assistance is really the only option. Over the years, research has determined the best practices for treating a person with substance use disorder is through medication assistance treatment, commonly called M A T and…or.. medication for opioid use disorder or called M O U D. These approaches have the best success rates for long-term recovery.

MEDICATION – ASSISTED TREATMENT (M A T)

Medication-assisted treatment or M A T is the use of medications, along with counseling and behavioral therapies, to provide a “whole-patient” approach to treat addiction or substance use disorders.

M A T is primarily used for the treatment of addiction to opioids such as heroin and prescription pain relievers that contain opiates. The prescribed medication operates to normalize brain chemistry, block the euphoric effects of alcohol and opioids, relieve physiological cravings, and normalize body functions without the negative and euphoric effects of the substance used.

Research shows that a combination of medication and therapy can successfully treat these disorders, and for some people struggling with addiction, M A T can help individuals stay in recovery.

The ultimate goal of M A T is full recovery, including the ability to live a life not defined by a substance.

MEDICATION FOR OPIOID USE DISORDER (MOUD)

For people who want to reduce or stop using opioids, approaches are available to do this safely. Medication for opioid use disorder or M O U D has been proven in being the most successful approach when someone is wanting to start treatment and help get their substance use disorder under control.

This evidence- based treated has been proven to:

• Increase the likelihood that a person will continue to not use drugs

• Reduce opioid use and symptoms

• Reduce the risk of infectious disease transmission

• Reduce then chances of an overdose related death

Two types of evidence-based medications used to treat opioid use disorder are methadone and buprenorphine.

Methadone eliminates withdrawal symptoms and relieves cravings. It must be dispersed through specialized opioid treatment programs.
Buprenorphine reduces cravings and withdrawal symptoms without producing euphoria. It can be prescribed by certified healthcare providers.

Access to help is growing in Minnesota. Essentia health as an example has multiple, certified prescribing providers for M O U D in Minnesota.

Medical providers are eager to help a person with a substance use disorder that can aid in a person’s life long recovery in a safe, controlled way.

Evidence shows that taking medicines for opioid use disorder more than doubles the chance that you will not use opioids while you’re in treatment. Taking buprenorphine reduces your risk of overdose death. Many people report having a better life on M O U D treatment.

If you or a loved one is struggling with Opioid use, Essentia Health can help. Essentia Health’s team provides compassionate and personalized care for people using opioids. Call the Essentia Health 24/7 Substance Use Disorder Referral Line at 8330677-12-62 or visit EssentiaHealth.org/SubstanceUseDisorder to learn more.

To watch the full series, go to Lakestv3.com

This project was supported by Grant No. 2017-AR-BX-K003 awarded to the Institute for Intergovernmental Research (IIR) by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Office for Victims of Crime, and the SMART Office. Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of IIR or of the U.S Department of Justice.