By ANDY GARDNER

MASSENA -- More than 90 people turned out on Sunday to become certified in administering naloxone, a drug used to bring people back from opiate and opioid overdoses.

Comrades of Hope sponsored the event at the Massena Community Center. They are a support group for addicts' loved ones, current or dead.

Dr. Sally White of the St. Lawrence Addiction Treatment Center walked the audience through spotting the signs of an overdose, as well as how to figure out who might be at risk of overdosing. At the end of the training, all participants received a free kit with two doses.

“Studies have shown overdose mortality is reduced in communities where there is more Narcan,” White said. Narcan is a brand-name variety of naloxone.

Naloxone is non-addictive and does not get the user high, White said. It binds to the brain receptors that are absorbing the drug which the overdose patient has ingested and stops the body from taking in more, temporarily.

“It works in two to four minutes,” White said. “It does not work for anything but opiates.”

[img_assist|nid=169386|title=Dr. Sally White demonstrates how to put an overdose patient into a ‘recovery position,’ which can help keep their airways clear and prevent them from choking on vomit. Her volunteer is Sheila Gladding of Massena. North Country Now photo by Andy Gardner.|desc=|link=none|align=right|width=250|height=322]Opiates include any drug derived from the opium plant. That includes heroin, morphine, codeine, hydromorphone (Diaudid), hydrocodone (Vicodin, Lortab), oxycodone (Oxycontin), buprenorphine (Subutex) and powdered or smoking opium.

The person administering the Narcan must stay with the person overdosing or turn them over to EMS, since the drugs can kick in once the antidote wears off. She strongly encouraged the crowd to call EMTs and get the person medical help.

“Always stay with the person for three hours or turn them over to EMS,” White said.

White said there is a four-step process for administering naloxone: stimulate the person and attempt to wake them up, call 911, administer the antidote and either stay with the person or wait for paramedics to arrive. She said an optional step is to flip the person into a “recovery position,” which is designed to help keep their airways open and can stop them from choking on vomit.

Naloxone is designed to be easy to use. A vial of the drug is placed in a nasal sprayer, then the person giving it attaches an atomizer piece to the opposite end, which turns the spray into a fine mist, and then sprays half of the dose up each nostril.

She said most people who are revived from naloxone wake up confused.

“They don’t realize they almost just died,” White said.

She said signs of someone overdosing include pale and clammy face, limp body, fingernails or lips turning blue or purple, vomiting or gurgling noises, unable to be around or awakened from sleep or unable to speak, very slow and faint heartbeat and very slow or faint or no breathing.

She said those at risk of an overdose include users who have overdosed in the past, those who are using for the first time after a prolonged period without the drug, those who mix drugs and those who are using a different drug or new batch of drugs. That could include those on prescription painkillers whose doctor changed their meds.

White said non-medical personnel who give naloxone in a suspected overdose setting are protected by New York’s Good Samaritan Law. The law also protects people from being prosecuted for having caused the overdose, for possession of small amounts of drugs or paraphernalia after calling 911.

Anyone interested in learning more about or getting naloxone can get a prescription from any doctor. Some insurances cover it and some do not.

White said information about free training sessions that give out free kits is available at 1-877-846-7369 or combatheroin.ny.gov.

See our earlier story to read more about naloxone in St. Lawrence County.