Emergency naloxone for heroin overdose: Beware of naloxone's other characteristics

doi:10.1136/bmj.333.7571.754-a

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Andrew J Ashworth, general practitioner (Andrew.Ashworth@lothian.scot.nhs.uk)

Davidson's Mains Medical Centre, Edinburgh EH4 5BP

EDITOR—While naloxone is a good drug for resuscitation we should beware its other characteristics.1 Naloxone has a short half life and so may give unskilled users a false sense of security, introducing a “secondary opiate overdose,” particularly when used to treat overdose with a long acting opiate such as methadone. The authors …