Skip to main content

More Bystanders Are Using Naloxone to Save Folks From Overdose

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Oct 14, 2024.

By Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Oct. 14, 2024 -- More bystanders are stepping in to administer naloxone to people who’ve overdosed on opioids, a new study shows.

Nearly 25,000 OD patients received naloxone from an untrained bystander before paramedics arrived, according to emergency medical services records from June 2020 to June 2022.

“Our findings revealed that people receiving naloxone from laypersons increased by 43.5%, proving that public health efforts are working,” said researcher Chris Gage, a doctoral student at the Ohio State University College of Public Health.

However, researchers also noted that more work needs to be done to improve awareness of naloxone, based on the EMS data.

Only about 3% of all OD patients who received naloxone got it from non-medical bystanders, results show.

“In a perfect world, this should be closer to a 100%, highlighting a need to improve naloxone education, enhance access and investigate and remove obstacles to its use,” Gage said in a news release.

Naloxone rapidly reverses an overdose by blocking opioid receptors in the body.

“Naloxone is a lifesaving medication that can reverse opioid overdose effects when given immediately,” said senior researcher Dr. Ashish Panchal, a clinical professor of emergency medicine at Ohio State University. “Similar to CPR, stepping up to help before emergency crews arrive can be the difference between life and death.”

During the past decade, there’s been an ongoing campaign to improve access to and awareness of naloxone, researchers said.

Last year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved over-the-counter sales of naloxone, and the drug is frequently prescribed whenever someone is prescribed narcotics for medical purposes like pain relief.

In addition, 46 states and the District of Columbia have passed laws that provide legal immunity for Good Samaritans who step in to help someone having an opioid overdose, researchers noted.

Future research will look into groups that make naloxone available to bystanders, and how to make sure the drug is available for patients in need, the team said.

The new study was published in the journal JAMA Network Open.

Sources

  • Ohio State University, news release, Oct. 14, 2024

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Read this next

Opioids Tough To Prescribe For Legitimate Patients, Doctors Say

THURSDAY, April 24, 2025 — Patients who legitimately need opioid painkillers are finding it more difficult to get the meds they need, due to guardrails established in...

In-Hospital Addiction Consultations Put Opioid Users On Path To Recovery

TUESDAY, April 15, 2025 -- People hospitalized for opioid use can better fight their addiction if their path to recovery begins in the hospital, a new study says. Opioid users...

Drug Overdose Deaths Rising Faster in Black Americans, Study Finds

WEDNESDAY, April 2, 2025 -- Black Americans have been dying from drug overdoses (OD) at higher rates than white Americans, a new study says. Both Black men and women are at...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.