34 THE QUEENS COURIER • HEALTH • NOVEMBER 9, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
health
The opioid overdose epidemic: The time to act is now
Th e opioid epidemic is on the rise.
According to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, 91 Americans
die every day from an opioid overdose --
that includes prescription drugs and heroin
--and more than 6,000 children (0-5
years of age) experience unintentional
opioid exposure each year. 1,2 As greater
national attention turns to tackling
this serious and growing public health
crisis, it is important to understand the
role you can play in helping your family,
loved ones and community act in an opioid
emergency.
Seconds count
In an opioid overdose emergency,
SECONDS COUNT. If you think a loved
one is at risk for an opioid overdose
emergency, it is important to know the
signs and symptoms and have a plan in
place because lack of oxygen may lead to
severe and permanent brain damage in
as little as 4 minutes.3 Most life-threatening
opioid overdose emergencies happen
in the home and the National EMS
Information System estimates the average
EMS response time is 9.4 minutes, so you
may be in the best position to help your
loved one. 3,4
Signs and symptoms of an opioid overdose
emergency may include extreme or
unusual sleepiness or unresponsiveness,
breathing problems, very small or pinpoint
pupils, slow heartbeat or low blood
pressure and fi ngernails or lips turning
blue/purple.5
Take action
Take action by arming yourself with
a potentially life-saving product, takehome
naloxone, like EVZIO® (naloxone
HCl injection) - the fi rst and only intelligent
take-home naloxone auto-injection
system with voice and visual guidance,
designed to help caregivers take fast, confi
dent action administering naloxone in
an opioid emergency. EVZIO is available
by prescription and can temporarily
reverse the eff ects of opioids. Ask your
healthcare provider about take-home naloxone
options, including EVZIO. EVZIO
is not a substitute for emergency medical
care and it’s important to get emergency
medical help right away aft er the
fi rst dose of EVZIO, even if your loved
one wakes up.
Are you at risk?
Understanding if you or a loved one is
at risk for an opioid overdose emergency
is the fi rst step. Taking an opioid or having
them in your home may put you and
your family at risk for an unintentional
opioid overdose emergency. Other factors
may increase that risk including6-12:
combining opioids with other medications,
taking extended-release or long
acting opioid medication, drinking alcohol
while taking opioids, having young
children or the elderly in your home
while opioids are there, and certain other
conditions including opioid use disorder.
Take the next step. Talk to your healthcare
provider to understand if a takehome
naloxone product, like EVZIO, is
right for you and what type of patient
access plans may be available.
“At kaléo, our number one priority
is saving lives,” explains Dr. Eric
Edwards, co-founder of kaléo. “We
believe removing barriers for patients
to obtain take-home naloxone, the drug
that can help reverse the eff ects of an opioid
overdose, is critical to help those who
might be at risk.”
Th rough the EVZIO2YOU direct
delivery service, all commercially insured
individuals pay absolutely nothing out of
pocket for EVZIO*, regardless of coverage,
copays, or deductible payments.
With the opioid crisis showing no signs
of slowing, if you or a loved one have opioids
in your home, or know someone
struggling with an opioid use disorder,
it’s important to know how to act in the
event of an opioid overdose emergency.
When every second counts, having takehome
naloxone - like EVZIO - may help
save a life.
More About EVZIO (naloxone HCl
injection)14
EVZIO is a prescription medicine used
in adults and children for the treatment
of an opioid emergency such as an overdose
or possible opioid overdose with
signs of breathing problems and severe
sleepiness or not being able to respond.
EVZIO is not a substitute for emergency
medical care, so you should get medical
help right away aft er the fi rst dose of
EVZIO, even if the person wakes up.
EVZIO is prefi lled, durable, and portable
small enough to fi t in most pockets
and is administered intramuscularly
or subcutaneously into the outer thigh,
through clothing if needed. Simple,
on-the-spot voice and visual guidance
helps caregivers take fast, confi dent
action administering naloxone during an
opioid emergency and reminds the user
to call 911.15
Each EVZIO prescription includes a
Trainer for EVZIO, allowing patients
and caregivers to practice. EVZIO can
temporarily reverse the eff ects of opioids
and help keep a patient breathing
until emergency medical assistance is
available.
You should ask your healthcare provider
about take-home naloxone or visit
EVZIO.com to learn more. For more
information on EVZIO, including full
Prescribing Information, visit www.
EVZIO.com.
Courtesy BPT