The numberdrug overdosedeaths in the U.S. has been rising steadily for well over a ten , with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announcing in 2010 that the figure had increase for an 11th sequential year , reach 38,329 . By 2013 , this had leapt to43,982 . However , there is a little - known medicament that really reverse the effects of opioid overdoses , and attempt are now being made to increase its availability .
Opioidsare substances that wearisome look of hurting by binding to opiate sensory receptor throughout the brain and body . They admit a range of prescription painkillers as well as illegal drug such as heroin . Their effects can be cancelled out by a substance callednaloxone , which is a competitive opioid antagonist . This means that it binds toopiatereceptors without set off them , effectively blocking them and thereby reducing the effects of any opioid - stop drug . However , it has to be administered pretty quickly , since last usually come less than three time of day after overdose . For this reason , spheric laws regulating the usage of naloxone are being revise in parliamentary law to secure that drug exploiter have sufficient access to the medicament .
For instance , in the U.K. , anew lawcame into effect on October 1st allowing anyone work out in a drug treatment help to administer naloxone without a prescription . In Australia , meanwhile , aninterim rulingwas passed last month downgrading Narcan from a docket 4 substance – referring to prescription - only medications – toSchedule 3 , which would allow all pharmacists to provide it over the counter .
However , a spokesperson for Public Health England told IFLScience that , as long as naxolone remain an injectable , it is improbable to become an over - the - counterpunch intervention in the U.K. for overcome this obstruction , several companies around the Earth are now formulate Narcan nasal sprays and sublingual ( under the knife ) spray . The U.S. Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) has even fast - give chase the development of one particularsub - lingualversion of the essence .
The potential of naloxone to deoxidise opioid overdose deaths has been play up in a number ofstudies , one of which indicated how disposal of the medication by bystanders significantly increase the odds of recuperation after overdose . This lends weight to the argument that all drug users and their congenator should haveready accessto Narcan , so that it can be apply as quickly as possible during an emergency .
While opiates are not responsible for all drug overdoses , they are involved in a heavy number of cases . For instance , in 2013 , more than 16,000 deaths in the U.S. were triggered by prescription opioids , while a further 8,000 resulted from diacetylmorphine overdoses .
