Opioid Overdoses & Treatment

Statistics show a dramatic rise in prescription painkiller overdose fatalities among women, with the drugs taking the lives of almost 48,000 females between 1999 and 2010. To put this into perspective, since 2007 more women have been killed by such overdoses than from car accidents. Research has shown that females may develop drug dependency issues faster than their male counterparts and may also be more prone to “doctor shop” than men.
 
Some cities are taking action to combat the general opioid problem. For example, a clinic in Cleveland, OH has been providing free naloxone kits to save lives of people who overdose on opioid-based drugs. Meanwhile, Quincy, MA has become the first city in the country to mandate that each of its patrols carry naloxone. Officers there have administered it 179 times, saving 170 lives.
 
Naloxone prevents opioids from affecting the brain during an overdose and usually restores breathing and consciousness within eight minutes. It costs $22 per dose.