Dag shows off the nasal spray Naloxone. The little green box that can save lives. It contains an antidote that can help with overdoses. He has 35 years of substance abuse behind him. Several times he has woken up in hospital after taking an overdose. He knows how quickly things can go wrong. When a friend overdosed, Dag helped by putting the nasal spray on him. It saved his life. The spray does not work for long, so it must always be supervised by a doctor. – It’s easy to give another dose as soon as you’ve come back to life, and then there’s real danger ahead, says Dag. The number of overdose deaths is falling Norway has been high on overdose statistics for many years. So high that former health minister Bent Høie introduced a zero vision for overdoses. But the number has largely been just as high after that. The peak was in 2020, which was a record year on a national basis. Only last year did the number decrease. The number of overdose deaths fell from 330 in 2020 to 221 in 2021. By county, the decrease was greatest in the interior, where 19 died of overdose in 2020, and only 8 last year. Senior researcher Jørgen Bramnes at the Institute of Public Health says the decrease in overdoses last year is gratifying. And he believes Naloxone has been an important contribution to reducing overdoses, without there being any research into it. Health Minister Ingvild Kjerkol tells news that there are still far too many people who die from overdoses. And she is especially worried because so many people die from medicine. Therefore, the government has asked the Directorate of Health to review everything they know about overdoses. This is presented in connection with the government’s announced prevention and treatment reform that will come in 2023. Camera treatment in municipalities In the event of an overdose, the oxygen supply to the brain stops. Quick help is crucial. The nasal spray Naloxone has been in use for several years. But only now has it really been tested on a large scale. Previously, only ambulances, doctors and hospitals had access to the antidote. But now Hamar and 35 other municipalities are testing this, which has so-called “mate rescue”. In this municipal network, the nasal spray is distributed to users together with clean user equipment. Those who inject heroin often do so together with others. A resourceful companion can therefore save lives. Jeanette Rundgren manages the municipal network. She is associated with KORUS-East, a competence center for Viken and Innlandet county. EXPERTISE: Jeanette Rundgren at KoRus Øst supports municipalities in drug addiction care. Photo: Privat She believes that municipalities that systematically prevent overdoses over time are the ones that close the most. LAR, drug-assisted rehabilitation, is important. Naloxone is important. And perhaps most important is close follow-up in the transition between an institution and a free life. Municipalities are required by law to hand out clean user equipment. Rundgren says they also recommend handing out smoke foil. – We also make it possible for people to smoke heroin instead of injecting it. They will then be handed out foil together with the user equipment – and this is required by law. Smoking heroin instead of injecting reduces the risk of overdose, she says. Hamar is among the municipalities that have worked in a targeted manner with drug care, and with preventing overdose deaths. They had one death as a result of overdose last year and none in 2020. Anita Østheim has led the work since 2015. Then Hamar municipality merged psychiatry and substance abuse care, and created interdisciplinary teams. 10 people work in the STYRK follow-up team, who are close to those who need help and follow-up to master everyday life. – We have really worked systematically to reduce the number of overdoses, she says. LEADING THE WORK: Anita Østheim has led the work on better substance abuse care and reducing overdose deaths in Hamar. Here she is at the commemoration of World Overdose Day last week. Photo: n21857 / n21857 Transitions are challenging Most overdose deaths occur in the transition between prison or a drug institution and everyday life. Then the body is not used to the drug, and you risk giving a dose that is far too strong. Dag has experienced this several times, so he knew how exposed he was when he had to leave a drug institution in 2018. LOOKING FORWARD TO IT: Getting a permanent place to live and a job to go to is the most important thing in order to stay away from substance abuse and thus also overdoses, says Dag. Photo: Lars Erik Skrefsrud / news He wanted to return to his home town of Hamar, but feared that he would be left alone without anything to fill his days with. He therefore called the follow-up team himself and met Vigdis Jensen. Together they set up an action plan for the future, and right up until now, Vigdis has followed Dag closely. – We must produce drug-free classes. It means having something to do and someone to be with, all the time, says Vigdis Jensen Dag er samd. Today he has a permanent job for three days at BUA, and owns his own flat. Every day he goes to the Barm center, an open house in the center of Hamar, which the church runs. Here he meets other drug-free people, for coffee, conversation and fun. FOLLOW-UP: Vigdis Jensen has followed Dag closely since he returned to Hamar. Now the time has almost come for him to be able to live a drug-free life without her support. Photo: Lars Erik Skrefsrud / news
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The nasal spray Naloxone saved the life of Dag’s friend after an overdose. Municipality tests camera rescue – news Innlandet – Local news, TV and radio
