Arnold Wilson will not be able to walk a half-block without opioid pills to numb the pain in his knees and other joints. The 63-year-old former New York City nurse suffers from severe arthritis; to treat it, he takes OxyContin twice a day and oxycodone as needed.
He has also had another medication on hand for the previous few years: naloxone, also known by the brand name Narcan, is a medicine used to reverse overdoses.
The danger of overdose is just as serious for individuals using opioids recommended by their doctors, even while overdose deaths from illegal drugs available on the street make headlines.
Wilson, who maintains Narcan nasal spray in his car and house, stated, “It provides me a sense of relief and security.” The narcotics were prescribed by Wilson’s pain management physician at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx in 2013, after a case of meningitis aggravated joint issues, Wilson suffered as a result of two brain aneurysms and three strokes. In 2017, his physician advised him to begin carrying Narcan.
Naloxone is usually given by someone else and starts to reverse an overdose within minutes. Wilson’s 18-year-old daughter is skilled with it, even though he has never used it. ” In case I become tired, I’ve told her how to do it,” he said. His girlfriend and friends are also aware of what to do.
