Reuben’s story: Using Naloxone during an overdose to save someone’s life
The UK is the largest reported opioid using population in Europe with rates of overdoses increasing locally and nationally year on year. And for those facing mental health difficulties, addiction issues can often overlap – creating a large group of our service users at potential risk.
Since 2020, we have been prescribing our patients with the life-saving drug, Naloxone, an opiate antagonist and is a safe and effect way to reverse an overdose and ultimately, save someone’s life.
We spoke to Reuben Cole, Community Addictions Nurse, who shared his account of administering naloxone in an emergency.
Reuben said: “I was working in community service, and we heard an emergency alarm and in responding we found a client appeared blue in pallor, unconscious and was unresponsive in a toilet near reception. An ambulance was called and we inserted an airway.
There were indications of recent drug use and I administered Naloxone via injection. By the time the Ambulance arrived, we'd administered several doses of Naloxone according to protocol and the client regained consciousness and was able to speak to us.
It was only when he was up and talking that I realised I knew the client and had worked with him many times over the previous 10 years.
I saw him several times later at the service and he was able to thank me and express his gratitude for the treatment we gave that day.
At the time of the overdose that client had recently been released from prison and so his tolerance to opioids was low and when he used heroin that is likely what caused the overdose that day.
The overdose had an impact on him and his treatment goals because he stopped using opioids after then, according to his notes.
For me the incident was emotionally charged due to my long-standing relationship with the client and it emphasised the importance of staff giving Naloxone as a timely, life-saving intervention and the vulnerability of clients recently released from prison or hospital to opioid overdose.”
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