Higher naloxone doses have no impact on overdose survival, study shows
Companies have been pushing high-dose versions of naloxone to reverse overdose, but a new study finds there's no difference in survival rates. And there are other drawbacks.
People receiving a double dose of naloxone are no more likely to survive an opioid overdose than people receiving a standard, 4-milligram nasal spray, according to a new study.
The new paper, published Thursday in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, showed no significant difference in survival rates between people who were revived using 4- and 8-milligram sprays of naloxone, commonly known by the brand name Narcan. People receiving the smaller dose also did not require a higher total number of sprays, despite having received just half the initial amount. The researchers found only one major contrast between those receiving different dose sizes: Those who received a double dose were over 2.5 times more likely to experience severe withdrawal symptoms, like vomiting.
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