Fentanyl is a powerful opioid pain medication as well as a common contaminant found in illicit drugs. It can cause users to stop breathing, resulting in death. The antidote naloxone (Narcan) can reverse the effects of a fentanyl overdose if given in time.
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Ethyl chloride is a local anesthetic agent that relieves pain by cooling the skin surface. Ethyl chloride abuse, which occurs when individuals intentionally inhale its vapors, can result in sleepiness, abnormal heart rhythms, and death. Ethyl chloride is flammable and can cause frostbite if used incorrectly.
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Aspirin is an over-the-counter medication used as an anti-inflammatory agent and for pain or fever relief. Low dose aspirin is used to prevent heart attacks and strokes in people with existing heart disease, and sometimes in pregnancy to prevent preeclampsia. Normal side effects include stomach upset and indigestion. Aspirin overdose can be life-threatening.
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Synthetic opioids are powerful drugs that can cause life-threatening respiratory depression and death. These drugs are currently responsible for most of the opioid-related fatalities in the United States.
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Xylazine, also known as "tranq," is a powerful animal tranquilizer. Although it is not intended for human use, xylazine is a common contaminant of illicit drugs in the U.S. It can worsen toxic effects of some drugs. Xylazine use causes sleepiness and a slow respiratory rate and might result in development of necrotic skin wounds (skin wounds with dead tissue).
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Naloxone (Narcan®), the antidote for opioid overdose, is a safe and effective way of preventing respiratory failure and death from opioid poisoning. Naloxone can be given by health care workers or bystanders to people with suspected opioid poisoning.
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Acetaminophen is a safe and effective pain reliever when taken according to label instructions. But in overdose, it is a leading cause of liver damage and death.
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When it comes to the opioid epidemic, we can all have a positive impact regardless of our social, economic, or professional status. It is important to practice safe medication use, storage, and disposal to prevent poisoning. By learning how to use the opioid reversal agent naloxone, you could save a life.
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Appropriate use of opioids for pain relief requires delicately balancing risks and benefits. Too much of an opioid can be dangerous or even deadly, but too little leaves the patient in pain.
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Current responses to the opioid epidemic are inadequate. Effective treatments are underutilized, and the result is a cycle of drug use, inadequate treatment, and return to drug use. Breaking this cycle will require a lot of individual and community effort.
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