1、 https:/crsreports.congress.gov September 27, 2017Naloxone for Opioid Overdose: Regulation and Policy OptionsIn the United States, the annual number of drug overdose deaths involving opioids has more than quadrupled since 1999, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Recen
2、t estimates (through the third quarter of 2016) show that the age-adjusted rate of drug overdose deaths has continued to rise. Research published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine finds that the proportion of drug overdose deaths involving opioids has been underestimated (Ruhm 2017). Th
3、e prescription drug naloxone is currently the “only safe and appropriate treatment” for opioid overdose, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Opioid Overdose Prevention Toolkit. How Naloxone Works The drugs commonly called opioidswhether prescription dr
4、ugs (e.g., oxycodone) or street drugs (e.g., heroin)are opioid agonists, meaning they bind to and activate opioid receptors in the brain. Opioids relieve pain, may induce euphoria, and have other effects such as depressing both the central nervous system and the respiratory system. In the event of a
