People in the midst of an opioid overdose are about to get a new intervention as the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service (WFPS) will be administering a new drug that officials believe will improve outcomes. When crews respond to an overdose call, naloxone is given to reverse the effects of an opioid. However, Michelle Long, the assistant chief of paramedic operations for the WFPS, said those people can start to deal with “dangerous” withdrawal symptoms afterward. “Buprenorphine reduces cravings and sort of prevents those immediate withdrawal symptoms, which allows more time to connect those patients to further care,” said Long. Health Canada gave the WFPS approval to start using buprenorphine in July. Long notes this isn’t a new drug, as it is used in the hospital system, but this will be the first time the WFPS will use it in the field. The drug helps reduce cravings anywhere from 24 to 36 hours, Long said. “What we see is we immediately wake these people up from being unconscious, and their first thought is because they feel so awful is, ‘Where can I get more drugs?’” she said. “So we ask them if they would (buprenorphine), and if they do, then we go down that path. But it allows us some time while the patient is not feeling absolutely terrible to have those conversations and connect them to some further care.” This comes after Long said the WFPS responded to just under 700 overdose calls in July, the most calls in any July and the second most calls in one month behind April of this year. Like any medication, Long said there is the potential of side effects, but not taking it could make people feel far worse. “I would suggest that the side effects of not giving it to somebody who is in active addiction and going through those significant withdrawals is considerably higher than offering it to those patients.” The WFPS is still working on logistics, but the hope is the medication will be able to be administered starting in the fall.
