DRUG HELPS ADDICTS SAVE OTHERS FROM OVERDOSE

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Giving heroin addicts the drug naloxone to keep
by their sides in case of accidental overdose may save lives, according to
new study findings.

"This is the first published report of lives saved directly by the
provision of take home naloxone," John Strang of the National Addiction
Centre in London, UK, and colleagues write in the April issue of the
British Medical Journal.

Doctors routinely give the drug during emergency resuscitation after
narcotic overdose.

After giving 124 drug users in Berlin, Germany, training in emergency
resuscitation with the aid of the injectable drug naloxone, the researchers
report on the experiences of 22 addicts who had an opportunity to put their
newfound skills to use. These 22 study participants put their training to
the test on 34 occasions.

"The drug was generally used appropriately. In only one case out of 34 was
its use inappropriate, with two of doubtful benefit," the report indicates.

"Early reports are encouraging. No adverse effects have been reported, and
10% of distributed naloxone has saved lives. A study of the wider
distribution of take home naloxone is now required," Strang and colleagues
conclude.

SOURCE: British Medical Journal 2001;322:895-896.