In brief

Naloxone should be prescribed with caution in patients taking opioids for pain relief: NHS England has issued a patient safety alert to warn of the risk of harm (intense pain and distress) or death from inappropriate doses of naloxone in patients on long term opioid or opiate treatment. This follows three patient safety incidents after failure to follow British National Formulary guidance, two of which resulted in death. The BNF emphasises that doses used in acute opioid or opiate overdose may …