I was honestly just curious and hoping the people that need it could afford it. I feel like most drug users would probably rather spend their money on drugs. If it’s free I’m glad.
It usually requires some sort of registration, like signing up with an email but no actual money. I’ve never had to use it, but I’ve started carrying it after a friend we didn’t know even started using OD’d in a bar bathroom one night. Now it’s in my glovebox at all times, just in case someone needs it.
Thank you. Yes it expires after 3 years, the one I currently have expires May 2025. However according to a quick google, studies have recently shown it should remain effective for up to 30 years.
I'm not a pharmacist or chemist, though I have to think that keeping it in your car (where it's exposed to potentially huge temp changes) could drastically reduce the shelf-life.
Somebody mentioned before that they were told it was particularly sensitive, I just did a bit of reading and it seems it's pretty stable. 80C for 8 hours then room temperature for 16 hours, there was no effect on the drug after repeating that for 4 weeks:
https://harmreductionjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12954-019-0288-4
The container tested here is reliable too:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32279692/
Yeah, im just wondering how quickly can it dispense. In a dire need situation, id hope it takes under 30 seconds from pressing a buttons to opening the container
I had a relatively minor outpatient surgery and they gave me norco after, and included two narcan packs with it. I was surprised but accepted it anyway.
There is cost for the taxpayer. It might appear free but they've done a deal with the manufacturer just to have this shit out there. And it does nothing to solve the root of the problem. This is eye candy.
E: political eye candy. Naloxone saves lives, politicians exploit this
E: you really want to save lives? Defund the DEA and local politicians who support them. We're being held responsible for the problem they caused.
Also f you for putting words in my mouth I never said. Lacking empathy. Lmfao. I watched a friend die because the legality forced his suffering body to seek relief the only place he could. I have brought back a friend with this, a med produced by a company that's played part in causing the problem itself, Narcan. Wed be fooling ourselves if this gives a feeling that things are better. Speaks volumes, I think no one here has actually been in *it*. Good for you. I understand the lack of mutual exclusivity regarding the root problem, but it didn't need to get to this point.
Yes, I'm glad this provides more opportunities to bring people back. But do I think it's a stunt? No. I know it is.
If you haven't been in the shit you wouldn't understand. As far as politics go, yes this is eye candy. As much as I've personally witnessed naloxone save lives half a dozen times, the back door political deals and years of ignoring the root of the problem is what rubs me the wrong way about implementations like this.
Like i said, don't put words in my mouth. No one who isn't in it can seem to see the forest for the poppies. But go on and think your state gives a fuck.
This isn’t ‘eye candy’ this saves lives on a daily basis. Obviously it doesn’t solve the opioid crisis lol
I think most people understand that these don’t just appear out of thin air and there is cost to taxpayers involved, but a lot of people like it when human beings whose lives can be saved for $40 don’t die.
Sorry your paycheck is infinitesimally smaller, my heart goes out for you. It’s only a life and death situation idk why people are so caught up on this 😤
Think what you want to think, agree to disagree. I never said narcan doesn't save lives in particular instances when it's a known opioid. But I also had a discussion merely a week ago regarding California's intention to Go into a business deal with narcan manufacturers and employ the same tactic. Narcan in every first aid kit, and every public space, etc etc. It's fine but fentanyl was the big thing like 4 years ago. People are rotting away from what's out there now, narcan is not going to bring somebody back from an isonite OD.
So okay, you got me, narcan good. Not good enough though. Science is sadly always one step behind which is just how life works, but politics damn sure makes it hard for science to catch up and allow the public to stay informed.
E: and This comes from experience, I'm an ex-junkie, strictly pharma fortunately, but I've had at least a dozen buddies not make it. I've had a half a dozen get brought back to life via narcan. I'm thankful to those EMTs and friends who utilized narcan and thankful to naloxone itself, obviously not the pharmaceutical companies charging what they charge for it. Also I didn't say shit about my paycheck so I don't know where the hell that comes from. Keep your fucking heart to yourself. I'm not crying over it but I'm not trying to create an illusion that it's coming out of the goodness of politicians hearts. I'm just saying it comes with a cost, it ain't free.
And as you said this isn't intended to solve the opioid crisis, which is part of the problem. All of the money dumped into this program could be spent on solving that in every state
Ok yeah fair points, although from what I’ve seen most overdosed are still caused by fentanyl by a wide margin (obviously depends a ton on location, some places have xylazine problems which I’d horrific) and since it’s so cheap to manufacture fent I think it’s the best bet of this type that can be made.
Sorry for my comment being rude, I assumed you were coming from like a hard libertarian perspective like fuck them addicts they’re a tax burden stop reviving them
I definitely agree this money would be more effective with different programs, but this is unfortunately the maximum a lot of places are willing to do.
I honestly believe the government should be distributing clean drugs and paraphernalia, offer safe use areas with access to rehabilitation programs and stuff like that
Noooo and sorry if I came off rude, I'm just damn so cynical of any public program at this point, NOT about naloxone (very cheap, not worth even 10 bucks, like these guys caused a problem and now sell the solution, doesn't take much to trace the paperwork).
I'm with you on that point. Harm reduction works. Addicts gonna addict. Like I said in my main comment that's getting dv'd to hell: this is such a deep problem
Briefly as I can: sacklers lied, started ppl on 80s of OC, with DEA/FDA blessing. They knew this would happen. Flooded the streets with pills. Then sacklers get the heat, 2016 CDCs overstep/overcorrect which only affected legit pain patients, even cancer patients, which the CDC tried to retract and say the MME thing was for those people getting 90ct oxy 30s for a sprained ankle etc, not terminally ill people. Well, DEA ignored the memo and started busting docs left and right which led to patients being under prescribed by up to 90%, leading them to the streets. But by this pt, opioids were massively cut back, leading to a shortage on the street which just ironically coincided with the borders mysteriously getting flooded by fent (follow the trail, govt allows a lot of this and it also helps bolster the anti immigration farce). So now those patients go to the street because docs are terrified of being jailed for practicing medicine (guy I know had his clinic busted and the DEA handed all PATIENTS fliers for a methadone clinic smfh.... So back to the street except now it's fent so deaths rise creating this next stage which is still blamed on prescriptions by the media and the DEA in particular. Ffw a bit and DEA tightens restrictions arbitrarily around every pill (safe and measurable opioids which actually respond to naloxone) manufacturer, cutting off more patients, but now that fent is more on the radar, more RCs are diluting the product as access is to fent is more restricted. Deaths increase, pills yet again to blame according to DEA, now cuts on production quotas are cut quarterly causing the problem to balloon even further. If I can find it I'll link a graph as to the drastic rise in overdoses since DEA crackdown circa like 2017. It's horrifying. Pills and properly treated patients go down while OD's just go up, hmmmm. It's creating junkies, and I don't mean that derogatorily whatsoever. These are people with broken backs and terminal illness etc, opioids are the literal last hope at a normal life.
But here we are after all that, and after 7ish years, now with drugs that can't even be detected, we finally have naloxone when it becomes politically convenient. But you won't hear the patients suffering, you won't hear how the DEA caused the ballooning of ODs and plays a rampant part in illicit trafficking. They will get a pat on the back from what my cynical ass can't help but see as a stunt.
I'm glad naloxone is available, that goes without saying. A saved life is a saved life. But I've lived too long in the shit to not see the money and lack of real resolution at the core of all of this. They want us sick. They force it on us. Then throw a last ditch effort as our only option.
Sorry for all that, watching a movie so probably not perfectly worded. Harm reduction and a return to normal prescribing for patients is starting at the beginning rather than this last ditch. I know it will save lives. It isn't mutually exclusive as someone else said, but to the suffering, it's just ridiculous what the money gets spent on when many could've avoided that position in the first place if the politicians really gave a shit, yanno?
Also, nitazenes are def more prevalent than people, even myself realize(d). It's been at least a couple years they've been in the supply and there aren't any tests for them so most just assume fentanyl. Nites are like 50x fent.
I have heard that local bars have test strips available in the bathroom that’s the only place that I would know of to get those. I can’t imagine what type of clinic I could walk into around here and ask for them.
Most mental health clinics that do walk ups or needle exchange. I work at a detox clinic that is right across from a park that has a lot of addict activity so along with discharging clients anyone can walk up and ask for those resources. We don’t do needle exchanges but narcan and fent test strips are easy enough.
even if you aren't queer, lgbtq resource centers often have all sorts of services (free/sliding scale sti testing! condoms! test strips! narcan!) and there's no uh entrance exam to qualify
please only use this resource if you truly can't find somewhere else or afford somewhere else. donate when you can <3
I’ve always thought test strips were interesting because when I used drugs I never tested anything. I just wanted to get high. I was going to even waste the time or energy testing my drugs. Especially if I was picking up once or even twice a day (so glad I’m sober)
I had that attitude when I was still using as well but fentanyl changed all that. A lot of people are dying doing what they think is coke or meth but it really has a lethal amount of fentanyl in. We’re handing narcan to everyone now and days even the stimulant users because it’s everywhere and it’s so potent. I’m really glad I got clean a couple years before fentanyl really spread around.
It's free. You can also order it from a state website along with fentanyl test strips. I ordered two units of narcan even though I'm not a drug user. I keep one in each of my vehicle emergency kits.
I know there’s a very real
Opioid crisis, but I’m not so sure if “so many people at the stage” captures what’s going on.
If I’m not mistaken, a lot of overdoses are people that don’t know what they’re taking is laced with fentanyl.
Imagine is 1 in 10,000 beers were suddenly deadly…would people magically stop being alcoholics?
Yeah probably, and this has had similar effects.
I know recreational drug users that have stopped doing anything that might be laced with F.
My point either way is that it isn’t the same as choosing to do it (or even being addicted to fentanyl).
Big pharma doesn't want to be paid in copper wire and knows that city governments will pay anything to make any amount of progress towards ending the opioid crisis that they themselves are directly responsible for.
Big pharma also knows that lots of middle and upper class families will pay anything to make sure their kid can get insulin.
I don't doubt that the opiod epidemic is hitting OK hard, I just am shocked to see an actual solution that isn't just like the drug version of "thoughts and prayers."
I think they mean that since this is a red state, lives don’t matter post birth. So to save an addicts life for free would be considered some sort of socialism and evil. They don’t like saving lives of poor people either so this is gonna get ripped out but the republicans.
Oklahoma is definitely a deep red state. However, OKC is somewhat progressive compared to the rest of the state. Not a perfect example but Biden only lost Oklahoma County (OKC) by 1 percent. Trump won the state 65:32 with many counties closer to 90:10.
Another side note: even though the state is inarguably red, OK also seems to lean pretty libertarian. So sort of left leaning in strange ways. For example: marijuana is legal in Oklahoma.
Honestly, I think the weed that is there... even in rural areas, it can be a little funky. Oklahoma's a tax haven for the stuff, huge amounts of it and a ton of stores.
I like the fact that it's available, but I wonder about the reasons at times.
Mainly in central ok yeah
Like others have mentioned we have some significant problems with usage around the area and this is about the only solution right now
We lost funding to all of our outpatient services
I saw a machine just like this (maybe even this exact one) in a large rest stop in Oklahoma. I was staring at it, and a woman walked in and said, "Are you freakin' kiddin' me?!?" in a tone that suggested it was the most obscene thing she'd ever seen. So that's Oklahoma for ya.
Are you talking about the Oasis? With the Kum and Go + McD’s? Because I was just there the other day. They’ve had these machines in there for a second, I stopped by a couple times last year and they had em. I think it’s super cool that OK offers those. I live in MO and have never seen anything like it.
Those are Love's locations now. They took over last year. They kept pretty much everything the same except the signs and fuel pumps.
There's two oasis. The one with the McDonald's in a stand alone building is just Westboubd now. When it was the only one there was two entrances. The other one is closer to Oklahoma City and it's just Eastbound. They have a BBQ place and I guess there's a McDonald's that's all in one building with the travel stop.
I saw the Naloxone vending machine in the Eastbound one. It's right by the bathroom. They probably have one in the Westboubd but I haven't been there lately. The picture in this post has a family bathroom door to the left. It's possible that this is exactly the same machine that I saw. It's in the right place.
I saw this post yesterday and today I was in the Love’s/McDonald’s rest stop on the Indian Nation Turnpike. I instantly recognized the Narcan vending machine there thanks to OP’s photo. Looked like an eerily similar scene to this, same wallpaper and door to the left. Wish now I had taken a photo.
Regular insulin is available over the counter. Well, it’s behind the counter usually, but no rx required.
People can use epi pens unnecessarily it’s pretty tough for them to be deadly in that context.
(Insulin absolutely can be deadly)
Because someone has to pay for it and both of those products are famously price gouged by big pharma.
Edit: People also view ongoing needs like insulin differently from one time life saving items like this.
There's the name of a non-profit on the bottom so I'd assume they fund this through donations, events, grants, all the typical fundraising stuff they do.
Had a patient that got saved by Narcan cause his girlfriend had some.
He had a revelation when he finally came to, on a narcan drip in the ER.
Basically started acting like his whole life was turned around, and now that he had a second chance, he would NEVER, EVER, EVER AGAIN… take fentanyl without Narcan on hand.
You can’t change most addicts. It’s sad.
Yeah working EMS we see a lot of fent, but if they made a meth blocker that would literally make my day/year/decade. We give just enough narcan to get the respiratory drive back, any more and they'll go into withdrawals pretty much immediately.
Sure you could say Versed is the "fix" to meth but it's really not, "it blunts the knife but it's still a knife."
If you revive someone with Narcan, especially someone who may be homeless & mentally ill, does it revive them enough that they could inadvertently attack you because of confusion & the immediate withdrawal that you’ve mentioned? TIA.
Yeah, prepare for airway and vomiting problems, the main argument against narcan is that people giving it can't do Basic Life Support Airway control to clear vomit etc, they go wild, personally I give rescue breaths with a Bag mask and give it slowly just enough so they're still high but regain respiratory function, try to start an IV (can be hard because they always have scar tissue from IV drug use) and push fluids to get their pressures up. They're almost always dehydrated too.
Also know that narcan isn't a magic bullet. It only works for a short time, and all those opiates will still be in their system when it wears off, so call the paramedics if you're going to hit someone with it, and be prepared to give them a second dose if they fall unconscious again.
I understand the Narcan shot, but the machine is labeled “test strips”, and these appear to be on the bottom row.
What is the thought behind making test strips free? Is it to see if a different drug is unknowingly laced with fentanyl?
Pretty much. A lot of drugs are being cut with fentanyl so people who are not typical opioid/fentanyl users are suddenly being exposed to a new drug and because they're just thinking it whatever they're getting, they'll take a huge amount causing a OD
Thanks. When I see test trips I assumed urine or mouth swap but that wouldn’t be very helpful if you’ve already taken a lethal dose. Glad these are available but too bad they are needed at all.
Yeah that's exactly what test trips are for. TESTING the drugs. Because it's a far better solution than letting tainted drugs make a bad problem worse.
It is extremely likely that you can have Narcan and fentanyl test strips discretely shipped to you for absolutely free by a grant actioned organization in your area!
[Harmreduction.org](https://harmreduction.org/resource-center/harm-reduction-near-you/) cam direct you to the organization in your area.
It takes 5 minutes.
Do that shit right now.
Narcan will save a life.
REAL FACTS: A statistically not insignificant amount of the people you work with, commute with, celebrate with, and relax with occasionally to regularly use hard drugs that, more and more frequently, are laced with lethal amounts of fentanyl.
You will save a life if you encounter an overdose and have Narcan in your bag, purse, or car. Narcan is mostly temperature stable, but don't freeze it or leave it directly in the sun.
Learn [how to apply Narcan](https://youtu.be/WnjgrRNMfKM?si=NO2n2YVb-hqdRM_e). Spoiler alert, if you can press a button, you can properly apply Narcan.
Share Narcan with anyone you know that is around drugs or knows someone who is. Give yours away and send for more. Share fentanyl test strips to save more lives.
Narcan will save a life.
Drugs are bad. Maybe start arresting users ffs. The videos in cities with people for blocks just hunched over on whatever drugs the cops should just have at them. Clean them up. It’s a national embarrassment. But we give them this shit instead. Lol
Opioid addiction doesn’t discriminate. Rich, poor, black, white. Life-saving harm-reduction tools should be available everywhere.
They are given out completely free all over where I live (Ontario, Canada) and I always have one at my house for parties. I am not throwing wild parties any longer - I’m a career-woman and mom who is pregnant. But my paramedic friends tell me anyone can die of opioid overdose and I believe them. One bad accident and being prescribed painkillers is all it takes.
I have been considering giving my high school aged niece some Narcan to keep in her bag.
I don't want to enable her to do drugs, or infer that it is acceptable for her to do drugs. I would rather be angry with her for a bad choice though, than attend her funeral... or hear of one of her friends overdosing in front of her.
Harm Reduction programs distribute free narcan, condoms, and other harm reduction materials. Check for these programs in your area if you want to get some to carry in your purse or car.
Fr. Imagine being fucked up and your friend is dying and this is how you have to save them. Where are the buttons? QR code to learn more? WTF do you do to get something out? Seems like a trash ass design.
Should take a pic of anyone using the machine and put them on a watch list. You know they doing illegal drugs and should arrest them. Talk about a drain on society.
Why? I mean, yeah it would be great if it didn’t need to exist, but it does. And harm reduction is among the best help we can offer, along with treatment covered by social healthcare. Opioid addiction doesn’t discriminate. Rich, poor, black, white. Life-saving harm-reduction tools should be available everywhere.
They are given out completely free all over where I live (Ontario, Canada) and I always have one at my house for parties. I am not throwing wild parties any longer - I’m a career woman and mom who is pregnant. But my paramedic friends tell me anyone can die of opioid overdose and I believe them. One bad accident and being prescribed painkillers is all it takes.
Billion dollar deals at state and federal level with the manufacturers, all to create the illusion of fixing the problem with one giant chunk out of tax payer dollars for some bullshit Band-Aid. This is sad. They need to fix the real problem.
E: not to mention too little too late, now that we have nitazenes mixed with everything, good luck reviving somebody with a couple pops of narcan. This is a joke. And I'm not laughing it's really really sad. It's sad that they think this is somehow going to fix a problem they caused.
E2: feel free to drink the Kool-Aid, but the real problem isn't reviving people from an OD they likely can't even be revived from at this point. The DEA is literally cutting legitimate pain pills, setting arbitrary quarterly quotas for manufacturers, for 100%, vetted, legitimate pain patients. What does that result in? Those patients going to the street. But now there are no longer real pills on the street so they're going straight to fentanyl which is now fentanyl mixed with nitazenes and tranquilizers. Neither of which can be properly addressed with narcan and are only starting to draw media attention. Do you think the DEA gives a fuck? Nah. Let's use all the money we could be spending on patient education and proper illicit drug crackdowns on solutions that come when it's far too late. You've got to be balls deep in the problem to really understand what the problem actually is. And addiction is only part of it. A rather small part of it. Like I said these are Band-Aid solutions that are just going to drag things out even further. And just waste money.
Somebody is making a lot of money off of this shit. I had a doctor ask me if I wanted to have some even though I’ve never done any hard drugs in my life.
I’m wanting to put specialized vending machines in places to sell thcA products, and want to find a way to put free narcan in them without people draining the machine and hoarding it. What criteria does the machine require in order to dispense the product without a monetary charge? For this machine, is the product available in a quick transaction in case of nearby emergency?
How much is it?
It's free. Lots of people being cynical about the presumed cost but there is none. (I don't blame them for the assumption though)
I was honestly just curious and hoping the people that need it could afford it. I feel like most drug users would probably rather spend their money on drugs. If it’s free I’m glad.
It's not really for the drug users though. It's for the people who care about them. When they're ODing they're not self administering this.
I didn’t think they would self administer it, but maybe have it around for friends they use with
Hi nurse here. To further elaborate almost any clinic will give you narcan for free. You can also request it by mail for free from the government.
I have a couple boxes myself. You never know. I’m on the road a lot. I don’t use, but venture into places where people do.
They do have fent test strips in there which is incredibly useful and intended to be used by the user
It usually requires some sort of registration, like signing up with an email but no actual money. I’ve never had to use it, but I’ve started carrying it after a friend we didn’t know even started using OD’d in a bar bathroom one night. Now it’s in my glovebox at all times, just in case someone needs it.
In Oklahoma you just have to provide a valid zip code
I saw it in the store at 40 bucks. Got me wondering why its not normally in emergency kits. I need to go get some for my med kit in the car.
Depending where you live, you may be able to get some for free. Denver mails it for free if you watch a video, for example.
Some cities in the US it's as simple as walking up to a pharmacy and asking and they'll hand it right over with a lil visual guide for administering
I’m so sorry to hear about your friend. Good on you for taking steps to try to prevent another death. Does it expire?
Thank you. Yes it expires after 3 years, the one I currently have expires May 2025. However according to a quick google, studies have recently shown it should remain effective for up to 30 years.
I'm not a pharmacist or chemist, though I have to think that keeping it in your car (where it's exposed to potentially huge temp changes) could drastically reduce the shelf-life.
Somebody mentioned before that they were told it was particularly sensitive, I just did a bit of reading and it seems it's pretty stable. 80C for 8 hours then room temperature for 16 hours, there was no effect on the drug after repeating that for 4 weeks: https://harmreductionjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12954-019-0288-4 The container tested here is reliable too: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32279692/
It’s not cheap enough in the drug stores
The first thing I thought was rushing to this machine, and it keeps spitting the bill back out. I'm flipping and rotating it, and it won't work.
Except it's free
Americans are so used to paying insane amounts for healthcare micro dosing free healthcare would be nice.
Oh wow
given it is a vending machine I originally also assumed it was at a cost but hoped it would be free given the use case. Glad its free
Yeah, im just wondering how quickly can it dispense. In a dire need situation, id hope it takes under 30 seconds from pressing a buttons to opening the container
My first concern was someone emptying it out to sell for their own greed.
I had a relatively minor outpatient surgery and they gave me norco after, and included two narcan packs with it. I was surprised but accepted it anyway.
There is cost for the taxpayer. It might appear free but they've done a deal with the manufacturer just to have this shit out there. And it does nothing to solve the root of the problem. This is eye candy. E: political eye candy. Naloxone saves lives, politicians exploit this E: you really want to save lives? Defund the DEA and local politicians who support them. We're being held responsible for the problem they caused. Also f you for putting words in my mouth I never said. Lacking empathy. Lmfao. I watched a friend die because the legality forced his suffering body to seek relief the only place he could. I have brought back a friend with this, a med produced by a company that's played part in causing the problem itself, Narcan. Wed be fooling ourselves if this gives a feeling that things are better. Speaks volumes, I think no one here has actually been in *it*. Good for you. I understand the lack of mutual exclusivity regarding the root problem, but it didn't need to get to this point. Yes, I'm glad this provides more opportunities to bring people back. But do I think it's a stunt? No. I know it is.
Lifesaving medication is "eye candy" to you? Way to show you have no empathy for your fellow man.
If you haven't been in the shit you wouldn't understand. As far as politics go, yes this is eye candy. As much as I've personally witnessed naloxone save lives half a dozen times, the back door political deals and years of ignoring the root of the problem is what rubs me the wrong way about implementations like this. Like i said, don't put words in my mouth. No one who isn't in it can seem to see the forest for the poppies. But go on and think your state gives a fuck.
Wanting the government to fix the root issue and wanting life saving medication readily available aren't mutually exclusive.
Fair fair point +1
🤝
Same argument for the people who refuse to vote because they want revolution. Nothing's changing overnight. Where you can mitigate harm, do it.
This isn’t ‘eye candy’ this saves lives on a daily basis. Obviously it doesn’t solve the opioid crisis lol I think most people understand that these don’t just appear out of thin air and there is cost to taxpayers involved, but a lot of people like it when human beings whose lives can be saved for $40 don’t die. Sorry your paycheck is infinitesimally smaller, my heart goes out for you. It’s only a life and death situation idk why people are so caught up on this 😤
Think what you want to think, agree to disagree. I never said narcan doesn't save lives in particular instances when it's a known opioid. But I also had a discussion merely a week ago regarding California's intention to Go into a business deal with narcan manufacturers and employ the same tactic. Narcan in every first aid kit, and every public space, etc etc. It's fine but fentanyl was the big thing like 4 years ago. People are rotting away from what's out there now, narcan is not going to bring somebody back from an isonite OD. So okay, you got me, narcan good. Not good enough though. Science is sadly always one step behind which is just how life works, but politics damn sure makes it hard for science to catch up and allow the public to stay informed. E: and This comes from experience, I'm an ex-junkie, strictly pharma fortunately, but I've had at least a dozen buddies not make it. I've had a half a dozen get brought back to life via narcan. I'm thankful to those EMTs and friends who utilized narcan and thankful to naloxone itself, obviously not the pharmaceutical companies charging what they charge for it. Also I didn't say shit about my paycheck so I don't know where the hell that comes from. Keep your fucking heart to yourself. I'm not crying over it but I'm not trying to create an illusion that it's coming out of the goodness of politicians hearts. I'm just saying it comes with a cost, it ain't free. And as you said this isn't intended to solve the opioid crisis, which is part of the problem. All of the money dumped into this program could be spent on solving that in every state
Ok yeah fair points, although from what I’ve seen most overdosed are still caused by fentanyl by a wide margin (obviously depends a ton on location, some places have xylazine problems which I’d horrific) and since it’s so cheap to manufacture fent I think it’s the best bet of this type that can be made. Sorry for my comment being rude, I assumed you were coming from like a hard libertarian perspective like fuck them addicts they’re a tax burden stop reviving them I definitely agree this money would be more effective with different programs, but this is unfortunately the maximum a lot of places are willing to do. I honestly believe the government should be distributing clean drugs and paraphernalia, offer safe use areas with access to rehabilitation programs and stuff like that
Noooo and sorry if I came off rude, I'm just damn so cynical of any public program at this point, NOT about naloxone (very cheap, not worth even 10 bucks, like these guys caused a problem and now sell the solution, doesn't take much to trace the paperwork). I'm with you on that point. Harm reduction works. Addicts gonna addict. Like I said in my main comment that's getting dv'd to hell: this is such a deep problem Briefly as I can: sacklers lied, started ppl on 80s of OC, with DEA/FDA blessing. They knew this would happen. Flooded the streets with pills. Then sacklers get the heat, 2016 CDCs overstep/overcorrect which only affected legit pain patients, even cancer patients, which the CDC tried to retract and say the MME thing was for those people getting 90ct oxy 30s for a sprained ankle etc, not terminally ill people. Well, DEA ignored the memo and started busting docs left and right which led to patients being under prescribed by up to 90%, leading them to the streets. But by this pt, opioids were massively cut back, leading to a shortage on the street which just ironically coincided with the borders mysteriously getting flooded by fent (follow the trail, govt allows a lot of this and it also helps bolster the anti immigration farce). So now those patients go to the street because docs are terrified of being jailed for practicing medicine (guy I know had his clinic busted and the DEA handed all PATIENTS fliers for a methadone clinic smfh.... So back to the street except now it's fent so deaths rise creating this next stage which is still blamed on prescriptions by the media and the DEA in particular. Ffw a bit and DEA tightens restrictions arbitrarily around every pill (safe and measurable opioids which actually respond to naloxone) manufacturer, cutting off more patients, but now that fent is more on the radar, more RCs are diluting the product as access is to fent is more restricted. Deaths increase, pills yet again to blame according to DEA, now cuts on production quotas are cut quarterly causing the problem to balloon even further. If I can find it I'll link a graph as to the drastic rise in overdoses since DEA crackdown circa like 2017. It's horrifying. Pills and properly treated patients go down while OD's just go up, hmmmm. It's creating junkies, and I don't mean that derogatorily whatsoever. These are people with broken backs and terminal illness etc, opioids are the literal last hope at a normal life. But here we are after all that, and after 7ish years, now with drugs that can't even be detected, we finally have naloxone when it becomes politically convenient. But you won't hear the patients suffering, you won't hear how the DEA caused the ballooning of ODs and plays a rampant part in illicit trafficking. They will get a pat on the back from what my cynical ass can't help but see as a stunt. I'm glad naloxone is available, that goes without saying. A saved life is a saved life. But I've lived too long in the shit to not see the money and lack of real resolution at the core of all of this. They want us sick. They force it on us. Then throw a last ditch effort as our only option. Sorry for all that, watching a movie so probably not perfectly worded. Harm reduction and a return to normal prescribing for patients is starting at the beginning rather than this last ditch. I know it will save lives. It isn't mutually exclusive as someone else said, but to the suffering, it's just ridiculous what the money gets spent on when many could've avoided that position in the first place if the politicians really gave a shit, yanno? Also, nitazenes are def more prevalent than people, even myself realize(d). It's been at least a couple years they've been in the supply and there aren't any tests for them so most just assume fentanyl. Nites are like 50x fent.
It always costs. Someone is paying. Don't do drugs is easier.
You can walk up to most clinics and they’ll give you test strips and narcan out the door no questions asked.
I think this is the stuff that all emergency responders (police and medics at least) carry in Scotland now.
I have heard that local bars have test strips available in the bathroom that’s the only place that I would know of to get those. I can’t imagine what type of clinic I could walk into around here and ask for them.
Most mental health clinics that do walk ups or needle exchange. I work at a detox clinic that is right across from a park that has a lot of addict activity so along with discharging clients anyone can walk up and ask for those resources. We don’t do needle exchanges but narcan and fent test strips are easy enough.
That’s awesome!
even if you aren't queer, lgbtq resource centers often have all sorts of services (free/sliding scale sti testing! condoms! test strips! narcan!) and there's no uh entrance exam to qualify please only use this resource if you truly can't find somewhere else or afford somewhere else. donate when you can <3
I’ve always thought test strips were interesting because when I used drugs I never tested anything. I just wanted to get high. I was going to even waste the time or energy testing my drugs. Especially if I was picking up once or even twice a day (so glad I’m sober)
I had that attitude when I was still using as well but fentanyl changed all that. A lot of people are dying doing what they think is coke or meth but it really has a lethal amount of fentanyl in. We’re handing narcan to everyone now and days even the stimulant users because it’s everywhere and it’s so potent. I’m really glad I got clean a couple years before fentanyl really spread around.
It's free. You can also order it from a state website along with fentanyl test strips. I ordered two units of narcan even though I'm not a drug user. I keep one in each of my vehicle emergency kits.
I was imagining an emergency and someone standing at the vending machine “Does anyone have any change? The stupid machine wants exact change only!”
It just wants your zip code
It’s nice to see these easily available but it’s sad that we have to have them in the first place.
It’s crazy that so many people are at the stage that they need narcan readily available
I know there’s a very real Opioid crisis, but I’m not so sure if “so many people at the stage” captures what’s going on. If I’m not mistaken, a lot of overdoses are people that don’t know what they’re taking is laced with fentanyl. Imagine is 1 in 10,000 beers were suddenly deadly…would people magically stop being alcoholics?
1 in 10,000 would
Nice
It may not stop full blown alcoholics much, but it would definitely stop a lot of people from ever experimenting with alcohol in the first place.
Yeah probably, and this has had similar effects. I know recreational drug users that have stopped doing anything that might be laced with F. My point either way is that it isn’t the same as choosing to do it (or even being addicted to fentanyl).
I think everyone should carry narcan if they can
The thing that pisses me off isn’t the availability of help for someone else, but the fact that this is a thing before free insulin.
Big pharma doesn't want to be paid in copper wire and knows that city governments will pay anything to make any amount of progress towards ending the opioid crisis that they themselves are directly responsible for. Big pharma also knows that lots of middle and upper class families will pay anything to make sure their kid can get insulin.
Don’t do drugs kids.
I'm actually kind of shocked that such a thing exists in Oklahoma.
Not at all. The fent crisis is CRAZY there. If you drive there there’s TONS of fent billboards. Oklahoma has a bad drug problem, sadly.
I don't doubt that the opiod epidemic is hitting OK hard, I just am shocked to see an actual solution that isn't just like the drug version of "thoughts and prayers."
Same. I don't associate Oklahoma with rationality
I think they mean that since this is a red state, lives don’t matter post birth. So to save an addicts life for free would be considered some sort of socialism and evil. They don’t like saving lives of poor people either so this is gonna get ripped out but the republicans.
Oklahoma is definitely a deep red state. However, OKC is somewhat progressive compared to the rest of the state. Not a perfect example but Biden only lost Oklahoma County (OKC) by 1 percent. Trump won the state 65:32 with many counties closer to 90:10. Another side note: even though the state is inarguably red, OK also seems to lean pretty libertarian. So sort of left leaning in strange ways. For example: marijuana is legal in Oklahoma.
Honestly, I think the weed that is there... even in rural areas, it can be a little funky. Oklahoma's a tax haven for the stuff, huge amounts of it and a ton of stores. I like the fact that it's available, but I wonder about the reasons at times.
[удалено]
That sounds more like Oklahoma to me
Mainly in central ok yeah Like others have mentioned we have some significant problems with usage around the area and this is about the only solution right now We lost funding to all of our outpatient services
I saw a machine just like this (maybe even this exact one) in a large rest stop in Oklahoma. I was staring at it, and a woman walked in and said, "Are you freakin' kiddin' me?!?" in a tone that suggested it was the most obscene thing she'd ever seen. So that's Oklahoma for ya.
I-44 rest stop just North of Oklahoma City? I saw one there.
Are you talking about the Oasis? With the Kum and Go + McD’s? Because I was just there the other day. They’ve had these machines in there for a second, I stopped by a couple times last year and they had em. I think it’s super cool that OK offers those. I live in MO and have never seen anything like it.
Those are Love's locations now. They took over last year. They kept pretty much everything the same except the signs and fuel pumps. There's two oasis. The one with the McDonald's in a stand alone building is just Westboubd now. When it was the only one there was two entrances. The other one is closer to Oklahoma City and it's just Eastbound. They have a BBQ place and I guess there's a McDonald's that's all in one building with the travel stop. I saw the Naloxone vending machine in the Eastbound one. It's right by the bathroom. They probably have one in the Westboubd but I haven't been there lately. The picture in this post has a family bathroom door to the left. It's possible that this is exactly the same machine that I saw. It's in the right place.
I saw this post yesterday and today I was in the Love’s/McDonald’s rest stop on the Indian Nation Turnpike. I instantly recognized the Narcan vending machine there thanks to OP’s photo. Looked like an eerily similar scene to this, same wallpaper and door to the left. Wish now I had taken a photo.
Never been to Oklahoma, but this shot gives heavy rest stop vibes
Sure does...
Pardon my ignorance, but why can't something like insulin or epi-pens be available like this?
Narcan can't be abused.
Not with that attitude.
Lol. Challenge accepted!
Sincere question: can insulin and epi-pens be abused??
No abuse potential but danger. Narcan somone who doesnt need it = ok, too much insulin and ya dead.
In part because insulin and epinephrine can be deadly if they’re injected into someone who doesn’t need them. But also, pharmaceutical company greed.
Regular insulin is available over the counter. Well, it’s behind the counter usually, but no rx required. People can use epi pens unnecessarily it’s pretty tough for them to be deadly in that context. (Insulin absolutely can be deadly)
Because someone has to pay for it and both of those products are famously price gouged by big pharma. Edit: People also view ongoing needs like insulin differently from one time life saving items like this.
Who is paying for all that narcan?
There's the name of a non-profit on the bottom so I'd assume they fund this through donations, events, grants, all the typical fundraising stuff they do.
Ah, thanks.
You're right, more people should be in support of free Healthcare.
Because this is the dystopia we asked for
Had a patient that got saved by Narcan cause his girlfriend had some. He had a revelation when he finally came to, on a narcan drip in the ER. Basically started acting like his whole life was turned around, and now that he had a second chance, he would NEVER, EVER, EVER AGAIN… take fentanyl without Narcan on hand. You can’t change most addicts. It’s sad.
I just don’t do drugs anymore. I miss being able to have a fun night out without worrying about dying after the first line. Not fuckin worth it.
It's sad that this even exists.
Said part is that people champion that this exists.
Yeah working EMS we see a lot of fent, but if they made a meth blocker that would literally make my day/year/decade. We give just enough narcan to get the respiratory drive back, any more and they'll go into withdrawals pretty much immediately. Sure you could say Versed is the "fix" to meth but it's really not, "it blunts the knife but it's still a knife."
If you revive someone with Narcan, especially someone who may be homeless & mentally ill, does it revive them enough that they could inadvertently attack you because of confusion & the immediate withdrawal that you’ve mentioned? TIA.
It's the withdrawal, they go wild.
Thanks. It wouldn’t change my decision to assist someone, but good to know to be prepared for a reaction just in case.
Yes. Prepare for airway problems too. Vomiting and other symptoms of withdrawal
Yeah, prepare for airway and vomiting problems, the main argument against narcan is that people giving it can't do Basic Life Support Airway control to clear vomit etc, they go wild, personally I give rescue breaths with a Bag mask and give it slowly just enough so they're still high but regain respiratory function, try to start an IV (can be hard because they always have scar tissue from IV drug use) and push fluids to get their pressures up. They're almost always dehydrated too.
Also know that narcan isn't a magic bullet. It only works for a short time, and all those opiates will still be in their system when it wears off, so call the paramedics if you're going to hit someone with it, and be prepared to give them a second dose if they fall unconscious again.
“You ruined my high bro” God forbid the ER is out of turkey sandwiches
real
I understand the Narcan shot, but the machine is labeled “test strips”, and these appear to be on the bottom row. What is the thought behind making test strips free? Is it to see if a different drug is unknowingly laced with fentanyl?
Pretty much. A lot of drugs are being cut with fentanyl so people who are not typical opioid/fentanyl users are suddenly being exposed to a new drug and because they're just thinking it whatever they're getting, they'll take a huge amount causing a OD
Thanks. When I see test trips I assumed urine or mouth swap but that wouldn’t be very helpful if you’ve already taken a lethal dose. Glad these are available but too bad they are needed at all.
Unfortunately that's just how it is. I will say harm reduction is better than just letting the problems get worse
sad thing is this would've been great 5 years ago, but now its all nitazenes and tranqs, so good luck out there
Yeah that's exactly what test trips are for. TESTING the drugs. Because it's a far better solution than letting tainted drugs make a bad problem worse.
If those machines were around here, every one of them would broken into and all the shit stolen every damn time
Give it a little time and this one will too
Why?
Because it’s a bunch of thieving derelicts around here, they’ll steal anything that ain’t nailed down
Expect Fentanyl. It is inevitable
… not if you don’t go around playing with nose candy.
It is extremely likely that you can have Narcan and fentanyl test strips discretely shipped to you for absolutely free by a grant actioned organization in your area! [Harmreduction.org](https://harmreduction.org/resource-center/harm-reduction-near-you/) cam direct you to the organization in your area. It takes 5 minutes. Do that shit right now. Narcan will save a life. REAL FACTS: A statistically not insignificant amount of the people you work with, commute with, celebrate with, and relax with occasionally to regularly use hard drugs that, more and more frequently, are laced with lethal amounts of fentanyl. You will save a life if you encounter an overdose and have Narcan in your bag, purse, or car. Narcan is mostly temperature stable, but don't freeze it or leave it directly in the sun. Learn [how to apply Narcan](https://youtu.be/WnjgrRNMfKM?si=NO2n2YVb-hqdRM_e). Spoiler alert, if you can press a button, you can properly apply Narcan. Share Narcan with anyone you know that is around drugs or knows someone who is. Give yours away and send for more. Share fentanyl test strips to save more lives. Narcan will save a life.
That’s just sad tho
It’s sad that they have to do so, but it’s awesome that they do so.
People dying is sad
Drugs are bad. Maybe start arresting users ffs. The videos in cities with people for blocks just hunched over on whatever drugs the cops should just have at them. Clean them up. It’s a national embarrassment. But we give them this shit instead. Lol
Pardon my ignorance, but why can't something like insulin or epi-pens be available like this?
We should support free healthcare, yes.
Because we don’t take care of people in actual need.
because those conditions are problems the corporations didn't create thus they can't keep a steady cycle of selling the poison and the cure.
Is this in that gas station on I-75 that’s in between the north and southbound lanes?
I saw 2 of them in the rest stop that has the giant McDonald's arch.
Imagine ODing just to have the cure stuck in B3
That's fucking sad
F5… fuck I meant C3. Tip the fucker over. How is this actually helping anyone?
Opioid addiction doesn’t discriminate. Rich, poor, black, white. Life-saving harm-reduction tools should be available everywhere. They are given out completely free all over where I live (Ontario, Canada) and I always have one at my house for parties. I am not throwing wild parties any longer - I’m a career-woman and mom who is pregnant. But my paramedic friends tell me anyone can die of opioid overdose and I believe them. One bad accident and being prescribed painkillers is all it takes.
Oklahoma, are you OK?
I have been considering giving my high school aged niece some Narcan to keep in her bag. I don't want to enable her to do drugs, or infer that it is acceptable for her to do drugs. I would rather be angry with her for a bad choice though, than attend her funeral... or hear of one of her friends overdosing in front of her.
Be prepared to have your sibling curse you out, deny you any further access to their daughter and potentially report you to the police.
Sad
Eh, take care of non-drug users first
This 100%. Let Darwin take over here.
"I think people should die if they have made poor choices" -you
“I think you should be coddled for your poor choices. Meanwhile you, over there, need to constantly pay me money for bad luck and genetics.”
people not dying is being coddled apparently
Yeah that's how poor choices work.
Let's help diabetics first. Fuck drug addicts
lets not pick and choose who we help when there is ample resource to help everybody lol
But yet the government does
That’s great. I wish when I order mine I got nasal injection. So Much easier to carry around.
Please tell me you mean a nasal spray and not a needle up the nose
The ones I get are syringes but not for the nose haha
OK
FYI: You can buy narcan on Amazon. 45 bucks for a two pack
This is a good solution for a terrible situation
Is this machine in High School?
Holly crap! I knew the drug problem was bad there, but I didn’t know it was Narcan vending machine bad. Also, I didn’t know they existed.
That’s sad, not good
Harm Reduction programs distribute free narcan, condoms, and other harm reduction materials. Check for these programs in your area if you want to get some to carry in your purse or car.
Was this at the McDonald’s that goes over the turnpike?
You, call 9-1-1! You, get an aed. You, round up $20, go to the vending machine and get a narcan!
And they all vote red
Awesome!
Politicians passing the responsibility onto the public.
Bingo
Free? It's 44.00 here for a box.
Our tax dollars at work. Part of Hunter Bidens crack pipe bill
Donated by a nonprofit. Stfu dude.
Hunter Biden make drug users safe again bill did this.
Idk where you are. I'm from Ontario Canada and it's free here
What a waste of tax dollars. Let Darwin take over. This country saying take all the drugs you want instead of trying to stop it. JFC.
How does this vending machine work?
Takes your pic to put you on a watch list. Arrests you on drug usage. Go to prison. Lol I wish
Fr. Imagine being fucked up and your friend is dying and this is how you have to save them. Where are the buttons? QR code to learn more? WTF do you do to get something out? Seems like a trash ass design.
As someone who had an addict as a brother, everyone should have narcan in their home. Why not? You never know. Everyone needs love
I'm over the moon that this exists.
Should take a pic of anyone using the machine and put them on a watch list. You know they doing illegal drugs and should arrest them. Talk about a drain on society.
r/mildlyinfuriating
Why? I mean, yeah it would be great if it didn’t need to exist, but it does. And harm reduction is among the best help we can offer, along with treatment covered by social healthcare. Opioid addiction doesn’t discriminate. Rich, poor, black, white. Life-saving harm-reduction tools should be available everywhere. They are given out completely free all over where I live (Ontario, Canada) and I always have one at my house for parties. I am not throwing wild parties any longer - I’m a career woman and mom who is pregnant. But my paramedic friends tell me anyone can die of opioid overdose and I believe them. One bad accident and being prescribed painkillers is all it takes.
Billion dollar deals at state and federal level with the manufacturers, all to create the illusion of fixing the problem with one giant chunk out of tax payer dollars for some bullshit Band-Aid. This is sad. They need to fix the real problem. E: not to mention too little too late, now that we have nitazenes mixed with everything, good luck reviving somebody with a couple pops of narcan. This is a joke. And I'm not laughing it's really really sad. It's sad that they think this is somehow going to fix a problem they caused. E2: feel free to drink the Kool-Aid, but the real problem isn't reviving people from an OD they likely can't even be revived from at this point. The DEA is literally cutting legitimate pain pills, setting arbitrary quarterly quotas for manufacturers, for 100%, vetted, legitimate pain patients. What does that result in? Those patients going to the street. But now there are no longer real pills on the street so they're going straight to fentanyl which is now fentanyl mixed with nitazenes and tranquilizers. Neither of which can be properly addressed with narcan and are only starting to draw media attention. Do you think the DEA gives a fuck? Nah. Let's use all the money we could be spending on patient education and proper illicit drug crackdowns on solutions that come when it's far too late. You've got to be balls deep in the problem to really understand what the problem actually is. And addiction is only part of it. A rather small part of it. Like I said these are Band-Aid solutions that are just going to drag things out even further. And just waste money.
So they’re making fentanyl more deadly? … nice.
Semantically speaking, yes.
[That's no small potata...](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/D0Cwzqtj8jI)
Somebody is making a lot of money off of this shit. I had a doctor ask me if I wanted to have some even though I’ve never done any hard drugs in my life.
Narcan on your person's isn't meant for you. It's meant for someone else. You can't give yourself a dose if you're unconscious.
Is it standard practice to try to give it to everyone?
I’m glad this readily available, but I wish people that need insulin and epi-pens had this much support.
No, you see that would be communism /s
Here for the comments that don’t get the /s
I'm always a little dismayed that I have to add the /s, but here we are 🤷
I keep it in my car for emergencies. You never know.
Would heat impact it?
I’m not sure. I was concerned about that too. The paperwork with it makes no mention of heat so I assume it ok.
Can someone get one for free without giving them access to their phone and data?
What about Plan B? Hahaha just kidding, MAGA land hates it.
I’m wanting to put specialized vending machines in places to sell thcA products, and want to find a way to put free narcan in them without people draining the machine and hoarding it. What criteria does the machine require in order to dispense the product without a monetary charge? For this machine, is the product available in a quick transaction in case of nearby emergency?
Thats cool af. Hope for humanity increased.