Drug expert urges patients on high-dose painkillers to get naloxone
TORONTO — A prominent drug safety expert says some people dependent on high-dose prescription opioids should consider having another drug on hand at all times — a naloxone kit in case of overdose.
Dr. David Juurlink, head of clinical pharmacology and toxicology at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, is urging broader adoption of the life-saving antidote more commonly associated with the fentanyl crisis.
“The idea that naloxone is purely for people with addiction I think is a seriously misguided one. If somebody is on fentanyl patches for chronic pain, most of those people you can make an argument that they should have naloxone in the household, even if they seem to be functioning well,” says Juurlink.
Even those who follow their doctor’s orders are at risk of being harmed by their medication, he says, especially when the drug is combined with sedatives, sleeping pills or anxiety medication.