Paramedics use Narcan drug to help fight effects of Heroin

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Posted: Fri 10:19 PM, Jun 29, 2012

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Updated: Sat 9:53 AM, Jun 30, 2012

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Paramedics use Narcan drug to help fight effects of Heroin

When paramedics in Eau Claire get a call about a drug overdose, like Heroin, there is a special tool they can use to help fight the effects.

"All of our frontline ambulances carry a drug called Narcan and it's an anti-opiet," said Battalion Chief Bryon Bensen with the Eau Claire Fire Department.

Rescuers use an I.V. and can inject Narcan in the field.

LaCrosse police say it is an anti-narcotic medication that saved the lives of two of the people who overdosed in the last few days.

When Narcan is used, rescuers say it goes to work, quickly.

"Anybody that's in an overdose situation becomes fully awake in a very very short time, usually within a minute," Bensen added.

And a lot of times, Bensen says people have different reactions when they wake up.

"A lot of the times there's surprise, confusion and anger as to why we're there and what's going on," Bensen said.

All of it leading back to Heroin. A problem drug that Jeff Wilson with the West Central Drug Taskforce says funnels its way into the area from bigger cities.

Minneapolis, St. Paul is a source city for us, Chicago is another source city relatively, geographically close, Milwaukee is a close area," Wilson said.

He says people from our area will often go to these cities, pick up the drug, and bring it back.

"We've had a lot of overdoses that have occurred, some of them have resulted in death but most of them are overdoses where people just recover," he said.

In Eau Claire, Chief Bensen says drug overdose calls go in spurts.

"Usually it's because someone in the area is dealing the drug and if there's a large supply of Heroin at a cheap price, then our use of Narcan goes up," Bensen added.

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