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I've come to the sad conclusion that ODing on heroin is a rite of passage with that drug and simply...you either survive it or you don't. I was fortunate enoug

by cubano 11y ago

I've come to the sad conclusion that ODing on heroin is a rite of passage with that drug and simply...you either survive it or you don't. I was fortunate enough to survive 4 hospital-trip-inducing ODs in my life. I know it may sound flippant or glib or obvious, but when you start down that path its always "oh, that will never happen to me" or "i'm too smart to make that mistake" Sad truth is...it pretty much happens to everyone.

salmonet 11y ago
I've read that most heroin ODs occur when a person gets clean and goes back to their old dose after growing a tolerance. Has that been your experience? It makes me wonder if simply making this fact more common knowledge would cut down on life-threatening overdoses http://www.businessinsider.com.au/philip-seymour-hoffman-overdose-2014-2 http://www.businessinsider.com.au/philip-seymour-hoffman-ove...
JshWright 11y ago
> Sad truth is...it pretty much happens to everyone. Which is why it's so critical to get Narcan into more addicts hands. They are going to overdose either way... It's just a matter of surviving them long enough to come to the point that some other external factors drive you to get clean (which seems to be the subtext of your post).
deleted 11y ago
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randycupertino 11y ago
Were you ever administered Narcan, and were you pissed when at whoever gave you the Narcan? The times when I've administered it I've gotten yelled at for ruining people's highs when they came back. One guy even threw a punch at me in the back of the ambulance. Glad you're still around.
- JshWright 11y ago
  If you want them to be happier, preoxygenate before administering the Narcan. They aren't pissed because you "ruined their high". They're pissed because they're hypoxic (and therefore confused, disoriented, etc), and surrounded by people in uniforms, and don't know how they got there. Bag them up before you push the Narcan and you will have much happier patients.

by cubano 11y ago

salmonet 11y ago

I've read that most heroin ODs occur when a person gets clean and goes back to their old dose after growing a tolerance. Has that been your experience? It makes me wonder if simply making this fact more common knowledge would cut down on life-threatening overdoses http://www.businessinsider.com.au/philip-seymour-hoffman-overdose-2014-2 http://www.businessinsider.com.au/philip-seymour-hoffman-ove...

JshWright 11y ago

> Sad truth is...it pretty much happens to everyone. Which is why it's so critical to get Narcan into more addicts hands. They are going to overdose either way... It's just a matter of surviving them long enough to come to the point that some other external factors drive you to get clean (which seems to be the subtext of your post).

deleted 11y ago

[deleted]

randycupertino 11y ago

Were you ever administered Narcan, and were you pissed when at whoever gave you the Narcan? The times when I've administered it I've gotten yelled at for ruining people's highs when they came back. One guy even threw a punch at me in the back of the ambulance. Glad you're still around.

JshWright 11y ago
If you want them to be happier, preoxygenate before administering the Narcan. They aren't pissed because you "ruined their high". They're pissed because they're hypoxic (and therefore confused, disoriented, etc), and surrounded by people in uniforms, and don't know how they got there. Bag them up before you push the Narcan and you will have much happier patients.