Roy Exum
God forbid anyone would ever need the stuff, but there is a relatively new drug called Naloxone that can save the lives of people who overdose on drugs. It is a fact that 44,000 Americans die every year from too much heroin and morphine, but the biggest killer are prescription opioids like hydrocodone (Vicodin), oxycodone (OxyContin, Percocet), and morphine-based medicine like Kadian and Avinza.
A lot of our first responders carry the life-saving drug, which is also called Narcan, but because time is critical, Tennessee has just become one of 12 states where the drug can now be bought over-the-counter at all CVS pharmacies without a prescription.
I talked with a CVS pharmacist in Hixson yesterday who said area stores do not have supplies of Naloxone yet, but that a protocol for each pharmacist to follow is already in place.
“Naloxone is a safe and effective antidote … and by providing this medication without prescriptions, we believe we can help save life,” Tom Davis, the president of Pharmacy Professional Practices for CVS, said in a recent news release.
Naloxone, which comes in an injectable and nasal spray, blocks drugs from bonding to receptors in the brain. It is easy to administer and CVS is hoping that families who have a member fighting drug abuse or those who admit drug addiction will take advantage of keeping the antidote within easy reach. All experts agree the sooner Naloxone is given, the chances of saving a life greatly increase. The antidote costs between $40 and $55, depending on the type and the state where it is purchased.
So let’s give a huge shout-out to CVS for figuring out how to make the drug available to the public, for the legislature and law enforcement officials who endorse the plan, and for the chance we can enable any drug abuser in trouble another chance to win a frightfully-hard battle.
* * *
Speaking of drugs, the increase of heroin use – now that Tennessee has clamped down hard on prescription abuse – has sky-rocketed. As a somber result, Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome, where newborns are drug dependent at birth, is higher in the four Southern states of Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi and Kentucky than anywhere else in America.
In 1997 there were 5.8 babies affected for every 1,000 born. Today it is has increased to 16.2 per 1,000. Dr. Rune Thomas, the director of the neonatal intensive care unit at Alabama-Birmingham Medical Center, told a Birmingham News reporter that not a day goes by that there isn’t at least one NAS baby in his unit, while pediatrician D. Wahib Mena told the newspaper that in the first 11 years of his practice he may have treated one or two afflicted children “but in the last 10 years there has not been a day go by when we weren’t treating at least one baby for drug withdrawal.”
* * *
As I pored over what happened this weekend in college football, I was reminded of what Vin Scully, the legendary announcer for the Los Angeles Dodgers once said: “Statistics are much like a drunk uses a lamp post – for support rather than illumination.”
* * *
I happened across a fascinating story the other day on two Dutch twins, now 72, who have been prostitutes for most of their lives in Amsterdam’s red light district. What was fascinating is their insight into men:
“Be easy. Listen to what he wants, always. Every man wants something different and that’s the real game – finding out what they want.”
“If you meet a man and want to keep him – be yourself. Always be yourself. This is what we learned when we were little and it’s true. You also must have respect for other people and listen to other people."
* * *
Bronnie Ware has been a palliative care nurse for all of her life – which is what we call those who help dying patients to be comfortable during their final days. She claims by tending to the dying, she has learned the top five regrets in life:
-- “I wish I had the courage to live a true life to myself, not the life others expected of me.”
-- “I wish I hadn’t worked so hard.”
-- “I wish I had the courage to express my feelings.”
-- “I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.”
-- “I wish that I had let myself be happier.”
* * *
CBC’s radio show “WireTap” had a 93-year-old man who they interviewed and he began by saying, “Nobody knows what the hell they are doing.” His other wonderful observations:
-- “No matter what anyone says, stay weird.”
-- “Indulge your sweet tooth. You’ll soon need dentures anyway.”
-- “Whatever you do, never order a salad from a truck stop.”
-- Spend all your money. Otherwise your kids are going to do it for you.”
* * *
Tempe (Arizona) city councilman David Schapira, who is 6'5", was having his picture taken as the city’s dignitaries were being honored at halftime of the Arizona State-New Mexico game when “Sparky,” the ASU mascot, decided to photo bomb Schapira’s on-the-field appearance. So “Sparky,” who is 5'6", dashed up behind the councilman and pounced on the big man’s back.
The trouble was, “Sparky” had no way of knowing Schapira was still recovering from back surgery. The resulting torn muscles have delayed his recovery for four-to-six weeks, but the bed-ridden councilman is being a good sport. “I feel bad for the kid. I know he felt terrible and I feel bad for him feeling bad for me,” he said, adding, “But if it had been Wilbur the Wildcat, I’d be livid right now.”
* * *
I was reading a woman’s essay of people who changed her life and one was her sixth grade teacher. She said the class was assigned to write a business letter with a heading, salutation, body, and closing. I’ll bet a dollar to a doughnut they don’t do that in the sixth grade anymore. I hear it is as outdated as cursive penmanship.
* * *
Finally, a winner as a result of the flaming Volkswagen scandal. On Friday the metal palladium (No. 46 on The Periodic Table of Elements) reached a four-year-high as the markets closed while futures for the metal platinum (No. 78) futures lost 3.4 percent for the week. Explanation: Platinum is used to build catalytic converters for diesel-engine cars while palladium is used to build catalytic converters for gasoline-engine cars. How about that?
royexum@aol.com