Letter: Don't exaggerate Narcan's benefits
A kit with naloxone, also known by its brand name Narcan, is displayed at the South Jersey AIDS Alliance in Atlantic City, N.J. on Feb. 19, 2014. Credit: AP / Mel Evans
It's important to emphasize that the opioid antagonist drug Narcan, or naloxone, will only effectively reverse an overdose caused by drugs in the opioid category such as heroin ["Saved by school nurse," News, Nov. 19].
There is no evidence that Narcan will reverse the life-threatening effects of overdose caused by any other category of drugs, including synthetic marijuana. The public should not view Narcan as an antidote against all drug overdoses.
Art Flescher, Hauppauge
Editor's note: The writer is the director of Suffolk County Community Mental Hygiene Services.
