<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s definitely a lifesaver,\u201d says Joel Meyers of Gorham, who was administered Narcan by emergency responders after he overdosed in the winter of 2020. Meyers says he seized his second chance at living, reconnected with family and has been in recovery ever since. Shawn Patrick Ouellette\/Staff Photographer<\/span> <\/p>\n

Joel Meyers wrote down the date in blue marker on the whiteboard hanging in the kitchen of his Gorham apartment.<\/p>\n

Feb. 17, 2020. The date his life was saved. His second chance.<\/p>\n

Meyers was getting ready for work when he overdosed on heroin , which was likely laced with fentanyl to make it more potent. When he was a few minutes late for work \u2013 he was never late to his job as a cook \u2013 his boss called a friend to check on him.<\/p>\n

His friend found Meyers unconscious in his kitchen.<\/p>\n

At the time, he lived near Moosehead Lake, and paramedics arrived shortly after he was discovered. The medics gave him Narcan \u2013 the brand name for naloxone \u2013 an opioid antidote that revives people who overdose. Meyers said he was later told they had to give him Narcan seven times before he revived. He woke up at Northern Light CA Dean Hospital in Greenville before being transferred to Mercy Hospital in Portland.<\/p>\n

Meyers\u2019 story and others similar to it are being repeated most days across Maine. While more people are dying of drug overdoses, more are also getting second chances at life. And some people are getting third, fourth and fifth chances, surviving repeated overdoses because they were given Narcan in time.<\/p>\n

While not every overdose would otherwise be fatal, properly administered naloxone \u2013 usually given as a nasal spray but also available as an injection \u2013 is extremely effective at saving lives and giving people a chance to get into recovery.<\/p>\n

Meyers seized his second chance and has been in recovery since surviving the overdose in 2020. He\u2019s reconnected with family and works as a cook in Gorham.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s definitely a life saver,\u201d Meyers said of naloxone. \u201cI said to myself while I was in the hospital that this was my opportunity to stop, accept help, get into a program and stop the madness.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meyers, a South Portland native, said the overdose shocked him into changing his life. He had been living in denial for decades, always thinking that overdoses happened to \u201cother people.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was \u2018being careful,\u2019 \u201d Meyers said with a wry smile, aware of the irony.<\/p>\n

Meyers said a back injury at a warehouse in 2000 led to two decades of substance use. It started with prescription opioids for his back pain and his usage escalated over time and included other drugs and alcohol. He quit alcohol in 2019 but continued using opioids.<\/p>\n

But when he overdosed and nearly died, the close call made him realize how dangerous his substance use disorder was.<\/p>\n

\u201cI could see continuing down that road, and that was the road that leads to dying,\u201d Meyers said.<\/p>\n

SAVING LIVES<\/strong><\/p>\n

Maine has experienced record numbers of drug overdose deaths \u2013 and the state is expected to break another record this year. But behind that grim toll is another trend \u2013 the increasing availability and usage of Narcan to save lives.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Naloxone \u2013 in its most common, nasal spray form \u2013 looks similar to the nasal sprays one might use to control allergies or reduce congestion. The part that you push when administering is marked in bright red, to make it easy to see and use. Naloxone usually works within 2 to 3 minutes of being taken, binding to opioid receptors in the brain, \u201creversing the effects of opioid drugs,\u201d according to the National Institutes of Health.<\/p>\n

The state has increased the supply and access to naloxone. And the number of recorded naloxone reversals (use of the antidote to revive someone who has overdosed) has also climbed.<\/p>\n

While the state has only recently started to track these statistics, naloxone reversals increased from 1,511 from July 2020 to June 2021, to 2,329 during the same period in 2021-22. The distribution of naloxone jumped from 43,950 doses in 2020 to 80,486 in 2021 and 93,125 through October of 2022.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have greatly increased the availability of naloxone,\u201d said Gordon Smith, director of opioid response for the Mills administration. \u201cOur goal is to saturate the communities with naloxone because it\u2019s one of the few interventions that does work. If we weren\u2019t doing what we are doing, the number of people we would be losing each week (to drug overdose deaths) would be much, much worse.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fatal drug overdoses in Maine continue to increase, with a record 636 people dying in 2021, according to state statistics. Maine was on track in 2022 to break that record, with 565 overdose deaths through October. Final numbers are not yet available.<\/p>\n

Experts blame the increasing lethality of drugs, a result of opioids or other street drugs like cocaine being laced with fentanyl, a synthetic opioid far more potent than heroin. Fentanyl, either on its own or in combination with other drugs, accounted for about 80% of all fatal overdoses in Maine in 2021 and through October 2022.<\/p>\n

About 6.5% of all overdoses in Maine during the past two years resulted in a fatality. But about 21% of overdoses were reversed by administering naloxone. The numbers can\u2019t account for all uses of Narcan. For instance, if someone is revived by Narcan and doesn\u2019t go to a hospital, that may not be counted. Such cases can be recorded if the person who was saved goes to a syringe exchange and receives a refill of the antidote.<\/p>\n

Naloxone is just one component of the state\u2019s anti-overdose strategy, which includes expanding access to treatment, prevention programs, needle exchanges and opioid prescribing regulations.<\/p>\n

But naloxone is key, Smith said, because people have to be alive to get into treatment.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

A Bucksport native who lives in Portland, Claire Valenoti, 44, says Narcan is \u201cthe reason why I\u2019m here.\u201d Sober for four years, she now has a stable life and a job she loves. She has even administered naloxone to others who have overdosed, and still carries it in her purse<\/span>. Ben McCanna\/Staff Photographer<\/span> <\/p>\n

SECOND CHANCES<\/strong><\/p>\n

For Claire Valenoti, 44, it took overdosing and being revived by Narcan four times before she finally made the decision to get into a treatment program.<\/p>\n

Valenoti said she regrets it now, but she was ungrateful the first three times she was saved by the antidote, and went back to using and selling drugs. She didn\u2019t value her own life at the time and thought of overdosing as a \u201cway out.\u201d She was irritated that she had to experience withdrawal symptoms, including nausea, instead of marveling at getting another lease on life.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was pissed that I was given Narcan. Now, I\u2019m super grateful,\u201d Valenoti said. \u201cIt\u2019s the reason why I\u2019m here. It gave me a chance.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Bucksport native who lives in Portland, she said she now has a stable life and a great job as a regional sales coordinator for a hotel chain, and has reestablished previously strained relationships with her two adult children. She expects to be a grandmother in April.<\/p>\n

\u201cI never in a million years thought I would have a job like that,\u201d Valenoti said. \u201cLife is awesome, and before I was just existing.\u201d<\/p>\n

The last time Valenoti overdosed was in August 2018. That October she was arrested for selling drugs. She went to prison, got into treatment and has continued in recovery since being released from prison in March 2021.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt took getting locked up for me to stop,\u201d Valenoti said.<\/p>\n

She has also given Narcan to other people who overdosed \u2013 she believes nearly 20 times \u2013 and still keeps doses in her purse, vehicle and at work. \u201cYou never know when someone might need it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The use of Narcan is at times stigmatized, including by Gov. Janet Mills\u2019 predecessor and opponent in the November election. Former Gov. Paul LePage, who served from 2011-19, vetoed or dragged his feet on bills to expand access or usage of naloxone.<\/p>\n

\u201cNaloxone does not truly save lives; it merely extends them until the next overdose,\u201d LePage wrote in a 2016 veto message.<\/p>\n

Valenoti said that mindset she\u2019s heard from LePage and others is wrong.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hear people say, \u2018Let the junkies die,\u2019 \u201d Valenoti said. \u201d That\u2019s BS. Everyone deserves a chance.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Claire Valenoti, 44, of Portland says she was revived by Narcan four times before she finally made the decision to get into a treatment program. \u201cI was pissed that I was given Narcan,\u201d she says of her initial experiences. \u201cNow, I\u2019m super grateful.\u201d Ben McCanna\/Staff Photographer<\/span> <\/p>\n

MORE ACCESS<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mills has taken the opposite path of her predecessor on naloxone by not only increasing supplies, but also making it easier to find the antidote in more places.<\/p>\n

Smith \u2013 the state\u2019s opioid response director \u2013 said there are several initiatives to increase access, including a \u201cleave behind\u201d law passed in 2021 that allows first responders to leave extra doses of naloxone at overdose calls or when otherwise needed.<\/p>\n

Smith said the state is also pushing for more naloxone supplies in schools and businesses, and at jails and prisons to be handed out when people are released. He said he hopes to one day see boxes on walls with naloxone in them in most buildings, next to the automatic defibrillators, although currently the \u201cnalox boxes\u201d are only in a few locations.<\/p>\n

At the federal level, the Biden administration is on the cusp of making Narcan available as an over-the-counter drug, as opposed to only being available as a prescription medication. While the state is giving away doses, Narcan, which costs about $35, is typically covered by insurance.<\/p>\n

\u201cNaloxone is a miracle drug, but it needs to be administered fairly quickly, so we want it everywhere,\u201d Smith said. \u201cWe want to keep people alive. People who are dead don\u2019t get a chance at recovery.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smith said schools are another good place to give out naloxone, because the students may not only save each other, but also their parents or other relatives or friends. Smith said it costs about $2 million per year for the state to purchase naloxone, using mostly federal dollars, and those doses are then given away for free.<\/p>\n

Naloxone is also distributed at syringe exchanges, including Portland Public Health, and several nonprofits such as Maine Access Points, Health Equity Alliance and the Church of Safe Injection.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Claire Valenoti has been revived four times with Narcan and has administered it to about 20 others. She carries this packet of Narcan in her purse in case she needs to give it to someone. Ben McCanna\/Staff Photographer<\/span> <\/p>\n

Bridget Rauscher, chronic disease prevention program manager at Portland Public Health, said in addition to the traditional distribution of Narcan to those who receive sterile needles for safe drug use, the city\u2019s public health department is finding new ways to get the antidote into the hands of the wider community. For instance, many downtown businesses have inquired about naloxone, and Portland will provide training and doses. The city also employs a Mobile Medical Outreach that will, among other initiatives such as giving homeless people winter clothing, distribute naloxone or administer the antidote to those who have overdosed.<\/p>\n

Rauscher said paramedics and police officers will still give naloxone on emergency calls, but it\u2019s less likely than a few years ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause of the widespread availability of naloxone, a high percentage of the time a bystander has administered it by the time first responders arrive,\u201d Rauscher said. \u201cA lot of it is word-of-mouth. Word gets out, and we distribute the naloxone to them.\u201d<\/p>\n

At Maine Access Points, which has locations in Sanford, Calais, Machias, Rumford and Caribou, Operations Director Whitney Parrish Perry said that Narcan is \u201cjust so much more accessible than it ever was.\u201d MAP will even mail doses to those who request it, and also do training sessions on how to use the antidote, as well as overdose prevention.<\/p>\n

Parrish Perry said there\u2019s now a lot higher demand for naloxone, and they have the supplies.<\/p>\n

\u201cOrganizations and people want to have it,\u201d Parrish Perry said. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot more education and that has resulted in a reduction of stigma around the drug itself. We are consistently trending up on naloxone use and access.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jennifer Sinclair, harm reduction supervisor for Health Equity Alliance, which has locations in Bangor, Ellsworth and Machias, also said demand for Narcan has increased.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have been seeing more people asking for it, more professionals and professional organizations reaching out and requesting training. Colleges are asking us to come out,\u201d Sinclair said.<\/p>\n

Sinclair said that \u201cas many people as can carry Narcan as possible, that\u2019s what we want. You never know when you are going to need it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

\u00ab Previous\n<\/p>\n

Portland Children\u2019s Museum lets kids in on New Year\u2019s revelries<\/p>\n

\n

Next \u00bb<\/p>\n

After so much stress, the way we dress has become more about comfort<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s definitely a lifesaver,\u201d says Joel Meyers of Gorham, who was administered Narcan by emergency responders after he overdosed in the winter of 2020. Meyers says he seized his second chance at living, reconnected with family and has been in recovery ever since. Shawn Patrick Ouellette\/Staff Photographer Joel Meyers wrote down the date in blue […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5380,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[5],"class_list":{"0":"post-5379","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dolor-de-espalda","8":"tag-dolor-de-espalda"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanchiropractors.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5379","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanchiropractors.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanchiropractors.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanchiropractors.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanchiropractors.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5379"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/americanchiropractors.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5379\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5381,"href":"https:\/\/americanchiropractors.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5379\/revisions\/5381"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanchiropractors.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5380"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanchiropractors.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5379"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanchiropractors.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5379"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanchiropractors.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5379"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}