Police Use Naloxone To Save Woman Who Overdosed On Oxycodone

SANTA MONICA, CA — Officers helped a 27-year-old woman who overdosed on Oxycodone by using Naloxone, the Santa Monica Police Department said this week.

An overdose was reported April 25 around 6:08 p.m. at Virginia Park, 2200 Virginia Ave., near Pico Boulevard, Lt. Rudy Flores of the Santa Monica Police Department said.

A man reported that his girlfriend had overdosed in her home and he tried taking her to a hospital but noticed her condition was declining while he drove her there, police said. He pulled over at Virginia Avenue Park and immediately called for help. He told officers that his girlfriend had overdosed on Oxycodone.

"SMPD Officers noticed the victim was pale, unconscious, and non-responsive so they retrieved their Naloxone (also known as Narcan) kit and administered it to the victim intranasally," Flores said. "The victim responded positively and was subsequently transported to a local hospital for treatment."

Naloxone, or Narcan, causes no harm when administered and blocks opioid receptors in the brain, police said. It temporarily reverses the effects that opioids cause, such as respiratory arrest.

Narcan has been used more than 14 times by SMPD personnel since the program started in January 2019.

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