Emergency responders revive heroin users
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Gerald O. Luiting
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David Spakowicz
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Jeff Klenz
JANESVILLE — If it weren’t for emergency responders, more people would die from heroin overdoses, officials said.
Heroin overdoses happen frequently, but paramedics often revive the user, Janesville Fire Deputy Chief Gerry Luiting said.
Users snort heroin or inject it into their veins. Heroin slows the heart rate and breathing.
Paramedics inject Narcan into overdose patients, Luiting said. The drug temporarily reverses the effects of heroin, especially if the person is unconscious.
When highly pure heroin arrives, emergency responders know it, he said. A wave of heroin overdoses will get reported in a matter of days.
Dealers initially sell more pure heroin to get people hooked, said David Spakowicz of the Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigation. Dealers later reduce the purity level when they’ve established customers.
Heroin users never know how pure the their batch is, said Jeff Klenz, the sheriff’s deputy in charge of the special investigations unit.
And many users carry Narcan themselves in case of an overdose, he said.
Heroin users have their friends revive them, Klenz said, and some users have overdosed four or five times.
More people would die if it weren’t for Narcan, Klenz said. And many overdoses likely go unreported.
It’s difficult to say how many overdose calls paramedics have received. The calls could come in as pulse-less non-breathers, unconscious persons or other ways, Luiting said.
Local paramedics have been carrying Narcan since heroin became popular in the 1970s.
“If it wasn’t for the quality of EMS throughout Wisconsin, our overdose deaths would be significantly higher,” Spakowicz said.
Apr 19, 2009 at 6:27 p.m.
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I agree with Macdaddy!
Apr 19, 2009 at 6:05 p.m.
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Give it some time and emergency responders will be seeing an increase in at home "Pulp Fiction" style OD remedies.
Apr 19, 2009 at 4:44 p.m.
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sabotslug, thats probably his ski outfit , he is part of the rock aqua jays ,( or clowns as you called them ) it doesnt matter what he has on but rather the job he is doing.
Apr 19, 2009 at 1:01 p.m.
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Why is Gerald Luiting shown wearing a clown suit? Maybe he should submit a more professional photo.
Apr 19, 2009 at noon
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Narcan is a miracle, it saved my fince 3 times. i think a lot more users would die if narcan wasnt so available to them. there is a guy called the 'van man' that gives away free narcan, clean needles in exchange for dirty ones,cookers,and information on HIV/AIDS and hepatitus. there is also a DVD for narcan and how to use it. if a user can get ahold of narcan, definetely have it just in case
Apr 19, 2009 at 10:54 a.m.
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i wouldn't feel any different, except maybe more strongly on the position. If kids are doing this knowing now that there is an backup in case they overdose. Doesn't that push them to go farther than they would?
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I hope my kids will never do drugs and i know for me the best reason to never start is because i had caring parents that were always around, and i had seen with my own eyes the devastation of alcohol and cigarettes, so i was never tempted to start.
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Maybe all kids need to take a "field trip" to a drug rehabilitation clinic and see where they could end up if they enjoy the high over time.
Apr 19, 2009 at 10:34 a.m.
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Make sense, however, your views would probably change if it was one of your kids that had to die as an example for others.....
Apr 19, 2009 at 10:34 a.m.
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It's not a guarantee of survival I'm sure.
Apr 19, 2009 at 9:47 a.m.
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they should ban Narcan then and only give it to Emergency Personnel. If kids know that they can overdose and reverse it, doesn't that give them a "green light" to go ahead and try the drugs, because a friend will always revive you and no one has to know. If more started dying, maybe kids wouldn't look at it like it is a harmless drug, when it is much more than that.
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Just my opinion
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