Today is the 25th International Overdose Awareness Day.
We ache with worry
Lest ours be the next to die
Thank G-d for NARCAN®
Those Nerdy Girls would like to take time today to remember and honor those we’ve lost to opioid overdose.
Today, let’s learn more and work to reduce the stigma of opioid use disorder (OUD), and all substance use disorders (SUD) by recognizing them as the chronic diseases they are, so that more people can access treatment and live to see the sun shine tomorrow.
Any one of us can develop a chronic disease, regardless of our background, income level, education level, or other intersecting identities. As with other chronic diseases, this is not about willpower or character. It is about changes in the body, specifically the brain.
Something that might surprise you: we are seeing health care professionals and high-achieving students using drugs alone and dying of overdose. Unlike folks who are well connected to their local harm reduction centers, who frequently use together, and who look out for one another, folks in health care and academic settings often don’t want to tell their peers because of stigma. By using alone, they increase their risk of overdosing and dying.
We highlight this because many people think that overdose happens in some *other* community, but we see substance use and overdose across communities, just like any other illness.
“When people take [substances], the brain is flooded with chemicals that take over the brain’s reward system and cause them to repeat behaviors that feel good but aren’t healthy.
The brain adapts to continued [substance] use by developing a tolerance, which means it takes more of a [substance] to feel the same result.
Not only does this lessen the brain’s ability to resist temptation, but it can also affect the amount of pleasure a person receives from normal, healthy activities like enjoying food or the company of others.
Efforts to save lives from drug overdose are continually evolving.”
And like treatments we have for other chronic diseases such as diabetes or high blood pressure, we have medications and other options for treating opioid use disorder.
Ways to address opioid use disorder:
- Remind ourselves and others that there is no shame in having a chronic disease. In other words, commit to destigmatize substance use disorder, especially internalized stigma.
- Know there is effective medical treatment for opioid use disorder, called Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUDs):
- Methadone
- Buprenorphine
- Naltrexone
- Seek treatment
- Encourage treatment for loved ones
Some ways to prevent opioid overdose:
- Carry naloxone.
Learn about, promote, and carry naloxone (NARCAN®) with you. This is one harm reduction approach similar to how many people carry a CPR (resuscitation) mouth shield in case they witness someone experiencing cardiac arrest. Naloxone is a medicine that is available in all 50 states. A common form of it is sprayed into the nose of a person showing signs of overdosing from an opioid or 7-OH (a kratom derivative). It can be life-saving! Learn more about naloxone here. (Of note, naloxone does not harm a person if given to someone who is not overdosing.)
You can not give yourself or others naloxone if you are experiencing an overdose. Here is a national overdose response line. 800-484-3731 or 877-696-1996, available 24/7, 365 days a year. If you are alone, you can call them and they will call for help if you stop responding.
- Use less and go slow.
Recreational or street substances can be laced with fentanyl or xylazine (tranq)without you knowing, which is much stronger and more dangerous than heroin. Harm reduction centers, local health departments, a growing number of college campuses, many commercial pharmacies, and Amazon have fentanyl and xylazine test strips so that you can test your substances.
- Lock up your meds.
If you have prescription opioids in the house and have small children or other vulnerable people in the house, consider keeping medications stored out of reach and having naloxone in an accessible and known location. It is now available over the counter, without a prescription. Here is info on how to get it.
- Be aware of “prescription” pills.
Fake pills (not directly prescribed to you and gotten from a pharmacy) are increasingly being laced with fentanyl. So a pill a friend gives you for anxiety or to help you study for your finals, can be dangerous. You can crush the pill and test it using this method. (Two lines means *negative*, which is the opposite of what we are used to with Covid-19 tests.)
To recap, let us:
- Acknowledge and actively reduce the stigma of opioid use disorder
- Recognize it as a chronic disease
- Promote harm reduction and treatment and prevention
- Be ready for emergencies! Have one or more doses of naloxone in your house and in your bag/purse. Here is info on how to get it.
- Vote for decriminalization efforts and elect officials who support harm reduction strategies.
Please use and share this information widely. You can save a life, potentially your own.
With love and in commitment to making a difference,
Those Nerdy Girls &+
