Woo-hoo! :dancingpa Enabling at its finest! "Here, go ahead and OD, it's ok. We will just run to kroger and buy some narcan to save you"... waste, waste, waste

Simply put, they wouldn't. Unless someone forced it on them it wouldn't happen. This coming from a guy that doesn't even like taking Advil.

 

I hope you are right. I know several parents who would have said the same thing. Good, sober, involved, God fearing, non Advil taking parents who raised their children as best they could. Still they found themselves with children fighting addiction.

 

It just doesn't happen to kids of bad parents. I don't care who you are, or how hard you try, no one can know exactly what their children will do in any given situation. Kids give in to peer pressure, or just plain make stupid mistakes. It is part of being a kid. Unfortunately, with heroin, it only takes once.

Alright I'm about two days late on this when I said I'd get back to you but unfortunately I got caught up in some other things so I wasn't able to get around to it.

 

As I said earlier, the process of getting the over the counter naloxone (Narcan) will follow a similar process to getting a flu shot where the patient will have to fill out paperwork and will have to meet certain requirements, which are reviewed by the pharmacist, in order to receive a their tube. Ironically, it appears that patients may also have an option for a nasal naloxone device that can deliver the drug via the nose even if the patient in question is no longer breathing which often happens in any drug/heroin overdose as it causes patients respiratory depression and thus the ceasing of breathing. However, that option might be a bit more expensive as I don't the price for that but for the regular (and more common) injectable form of naloxone is $80 per tube. Patients who do meet the requirements to get one will be extensively counseled on how to use it, when to use it, among other things and the pharmacist will ask them questions to make sure they understand what they are being taught. This goes without saying but representatives of the patient (the ones who will be giving the shot if an overdose occurs) can receive the drug/education in the patients stead. Here are the requirements in order to eligible for the program:

 

1) The individual requesting naloxone must be 18 years of age or older

2) Must meet one of the following:

- a person with a documented history of receiving emergency care for acute opioid poisoning/overdose

- a person with suscpected history of substance abuse of opioid use

- a person receving high-dose opioid prescriptions (>100mg morphine equivalent/day)

- a person who is opioid naive and is receiving a first prescription for methadone

- a person starting buprenorphine (subutex/suboxone) or methadone for addiction treatment

- a person on opioid prescriptions for pain in combination with drugs with smoking, lung diseases/illnesses, renal/hepatic/cardiac disease, known or suspected alcohol abuse, concurrent benzodiazepine (xanax, etc.) or other sedative prescriptions, concurrent antidepressant medcations

- a person who may have difficult accessing emergency medical services

- a person in position to help another individual at risk and voluntarily requesting per KRS 217.186

3) Must not be pregnant or planning to become pregnant within the next month and/or breastfeeding

4) Must not be allergy to naloxone or any other ingredients within the products being dispensed.

 

Its pretty straightforward and even if someone meets the requirements I'd say if something doesn't seem right to the pharmacist we can decide whether or not we will dispense it if we think something isn't right.

 

The pharmacist will be responsible for providing patient education on risk factors of opioid overdoses, strategies to prevent them, signs of opioid overdoses, steps to respond to an overdose, information on naloxone including side effects, how to administer naloxone and the proper storage and expiration of naloxone product dispensed.

 

If you have any questions fire away and I will do my best to answer them for you. I don't know about Ohio but I think this program will be not be running as fast as Kroger said it would be in Kentucky. I say this because the new law that passed awhile ago enabling this program if the pharmacy chose to implement it requires KY pharmacists to undergo training, etc. in order to participate in it. Kroger is now choosing to participate in it Southwest Ohio and NKY but I highly doubt any of the pharmacists there are currently trained to legally dispense it at this time but they may be taking steps as we speak in order to get everything running.

 

IMO, it'll only be a matter of time before most Kroger rolls this program out with the rest of their pharmacies besides the ones in Southwest Ohio and NKY especially in the areas where heroin andopioid use/abuse is high. I'm sure my store will be one of the first to join this program when it does eventually expand.

All Kroger pharmacists in Northern Kentucky are trained and able to dispense Narcan. Training took place starting back in the fall. Protocol signed off on last month.

All Kroger pharmacists in Northern Kentucky are trained and able to dispense Narcan. Training took place starting back in the fall. Protocol signed off on last month.

 

Makes sense then with their statement but looks the rest of us were left in the dark like the rest of the public. I'll just be curious to know how fast they will roll this out at other stores if at all. I might send my division supervisor to see if he knows anything himself.

Kroger has expanded its Narcan program today to the Louisville division which consists Louisville and Lexington area stores as well as some of the stores east of that (Winchester, Mt. Sterling, Morehead, Stanton, Richmond).

 

Article: Heroin antidote without prescription at Kroger

 

I dispensed one today in my store and I'm sure I'll dispense more as the news spread.

Kroger has expanded its Narcan program today to the Louisville division which consists Louisville and Lexington area stores as well as some of the stores east of that (Winchester, Mt. Sterling, Morehead, Stanton, Richmond).

 

Article: Heroin antidote without prescription at Kroger

 

I dispensed one today in my store and I'm sure I'll dispense more as the news spread.

 

What is the cost? How many doses can you purchase?

What is the cost? How many doses can you purchase?

 

We sell two devices at a time because if an overdose occurs, some patients may not respond to the first dose given and thus need a second.

 

As for the price it will vary. If you are buying it for yourself to have around if others need it you will have to pay cash. However if there is someone specific in mind you we buying it for we can run it through their insurance as long as they are involved in the process. When I say "involved" meaning we have talked to them, talked about what this is all about, etc. and so then we can run it through their insurance.

 

This essentially means you can't run your insurance through it unless the person at risk for an overdose is you and if that's the case I'd like someone else there as well to help educate them because it is impossible to give yourself Narcan during an overdose.

 

I ran the one today through Medicaid insurance and it covered everything so it was no co-pay but it will vary. If you are buying it cash I'd suggest waiting as we are currently getting some cheaper alternatives but don't have the supplies for it yet but we do have options now but they are more expensive without insurance.

 

Some of all this seems a little backwards but it's what we have been told to go about operating it and they have told us they will monitor it and change things accordingly. Basically if you want it run through insurance, the person who is at risk NEEDS to be involved so I can run it through their insurance (not yours) as they will be the one it will be administered to. I can't run it through yours as technically you aren't using it for yourself and thus would be fraudulent. That's what we have been advised as of now.

As far as cash prices, the Narcan nasal device we currently have will be about $150 without insurance. However there is a cheaper alternative in a prefilled syringe of naloxone (without a needle) and we will also sell you an atomizer which will be attached to it to allow it for intranasal use. I don't know the cash price of it yet but it will be cheapest one however when I tried to order the atomizer today for them I couldn't get them so I'm not sure when it will be a real option until the supply situation gets resolved.

 

Bottom line is that you should get the person in question that it's being used for involved in the process so I can run it through their insurance so it will be much more affordable. Again we are just getting it started in our region so I'm sure things will change and improve..

I ran the one today through Medicaid insurance and it covered everything so it was no co-pay but it will vary. If you are buying it cash I'd suggest waiting as we are currently getting some cheaper alternatives but don't have the supplies for it yet but we do have options now but they are more expensive without insurance.

 

This is something that I find rather absurd. I had to pay over $100 in meds when I had acute bronchitis through my insurance, but a heroine addict can get Narcan without any cost.

 

I know you're just reporting @Show Stopper, but that's crazy to me.

This is something that I find rather absurd. I had to pay over $100 in meds when I had acute bronchitis through my insurance, but a heroine addict can get Narcan without any cost.

 

I know you're just reporting @Show Stopper, but that's crazy to me.

 

I absolutely understand as the deductibles on plans will vary based on what medication patients are being prescribed and what tiers the fall into in the plan. I only think they are covering it fully right now as more of a good will kind of thing but we will see. Things could change down the road.

I don't get why some are against saving the life of a person who ODs.

 

Should a paramedic stop life-saving procedures at the scene of an accident when they realize the injured was driving drunk? Texting while driving?

 

Should apples taste like oranges? or Vice versa?