Over the previous three years, fewer people have needed doses of a lifesaving medicine that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose. However, the number of drug-related deaths over the same time period have crept up.Warren County Ambulance Chief Tim Flake said tracking doses of the treatment drug Narcan provides a good indicator of how many opioid overdoses emergency crews are responding to. Data from five Warren County agencies that carry the treatment shows the number of Narcan doses administered to patients has decreased each year since 2016.Narcan, also known by the generic drug name naloxone, is a chemical that blocks the effects of opioid drugs and can quickly revive someone suffering an opioid overdose. The treatment is available as a nasal spray that is relatively simple to administer.The Warren County and Marthasville ambulance districts, Warrenton and Wright City fire protection districts, and Warrenton Police Department collectively administered 149 doses of Narcan in 2016, 125 doses in 2017, and 115 doses in 2018, according to data provided by the agencies.That represents an overall decline of 23 percent in the number of opioid overdose treatments in those three years.Flake said there could be several reasons ambulance crews and other responders were called to fewer overdose cases. Certain repeat drug abusers might have moved out of the area or passed away, he said.Or, they might be treating themselves. Flake noted that Narcan has become available for purchase over the counter at drugstores. Medics worry that the easy availability of Narcan might encourage more unsafe drug abuse.Only a small number of overdose patients are people who accidentally took too much of a legitimate prescription medication, Flake said, and that “the rest of them are not accidents.”Of the Narcan treatments delivered by first responders, the large majority come from Warren CountyAmbulance District medics. Prior to 2017, Warren County Ambulance and Marthasville Community Ambulance District were the only local agencies that carried the treatment.In 2017, in response to growing awareness of the nationwide opioid crisis, Warrenton police officers and firefighters in Warrenton and Wright City began carrying Narcan as well. The non-ambulance agencies accounted for about 22 percent of Narcan doses administered over the last two years.Warrenton Police Department, in particular, has assumed a larger role in aiding patients suffering overdose symptoms. Warrenton officers administered 24 Narcan doses in 2018.Flake said because ambulances sometimes need to let police officers secure a potentially unsafe scene before medics enter, officers with access to Narcan can begin treatment if they identify a patient with overdose symptoms. He said the treatment being in the hands of more emergency responders helps save lives.“Story after story, the Narcan has worked and the patient arrives to the hospital alive,” Flake said. “If there was no intervention, more people would die.”Although opioid-based drugs have drawn much attention in recent years, other types of drug abuse remain a problem. For example, Marthasville Ambulance Chief Ann Cleavelin said methamphetamine is a more prevalent issue in her district than opioids.And even though the total number of emergency calls for drug overdoses may have gone down, a small but steady number of cases continue to be fatal. That number rose slightly in 2017 and 2018.There were 11 drug-related deaths last year, with another 15 over the two years prior, according to Warren County Coroner Glenn Craig. Toxicology reports for most patients showed at least one opioid drug in their system, with some showing multiple kinds of painkillers or a mix of different drugs.Fentanyl, an extremely powerful opioid painkiller, was a common drug among those who died of overdoses. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration says fentanyl often is disguised as heroin or mixed in with heroin to increase its potency, without the knowledge of the person buying the drug.Information from the Warren County coroner shows only two recent cases, both in 2018, in which a person died with the naloxone treatment drug in their system, indicating an attempt to revive the person from an overdose or otherwise combat the effects of an opioid.

Naloxone, more commonly known by the brand name Narcan, is the standard treatment drug for reversing an opioid overdose. Declining Narcan doses being administered by first responders indicate overdose emergency calls dropped in 2018.

Narcan doses 2016-2018Record graphic