UPDATE: Governor Sununu gave a press conference about the dangers of the synthetic opioid carfentanil on Wednesday April 26, 2017 following New Hampshire overdose deaths that have been linked to the substance.
Carfentanil is an animal tranquilizer that has been used safely by many veterinarians treating very large animals like horses, elephants, and other zoo animals. The substance is 100 times more powerful than fentanyl and can be absorbed through air and skin contact, but there have been no reports of public safety providers exhibiting signs or symptoms of narcotic exposure from carfentanil present on a scene
Carfentanil is often cut and sold as heroin or cocaine or pressed into pills. During this process, the drug may not be evenly distributed among the filler, which means that active users may receive all carfentanil at once. (Visualize the vial above filled with both carfentanil and a substance like a laundry detergent or flour.)
Please circulate these additional resources throughout your communities
New publication:
This new publication, released in January 2017, describes the ways individuals can access the naloxone. Read Naloxone in New Hampshire now.
In 2015 the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (NH DHHS), in collaboration with Division of Fire Standards and Training and Emergency Medical Services, began a distribution and training campaign for naloxone, a medication used to reverse an opioid overdose.
That year DHHS purchased 6,000 naloxone kits for at-risk individuals and their friends and loved ones who did not have the means to pay for naloxone free of charge and were distributed through the state’s 10 community health centers, three additional clinics, and regional community events held by the state’s Regional Public Health Networks.
That same year, the legislature passed a law establishing standing orders, making the life-saving medication available without a prescription at many New Hampshire pharmacies.
A similar training and distribution campaign is underway for 2016. There are currently four ways for you, as a New Hampshire resident, to get naloxone kits for yourself or someone you care about:
- Your primary care physician can write a prescription for naloxone that you must purchase at a pharmacy. Read the NH Board of Pharmacy’s list of every pharmacy in the New Hampshire.
2. You can buy naloxone at a pharmacy with standing orders, which sells the medication without a prescription. Consult the Anyone. Anytime pharmacy page, that has a list of every NH pharmacy with standing orders for naloxone.
3. You may receive free kits if you are a client of a state-contracted-health center or treatment provider, at risk for opioid overdose and don’t have insurance that covers the cost or cannot afford to purchase naloxone. Review the list of community health centers in NH with free naloxone kits.
4. You may attend an event held by your Regional Public Health Network, where the state’s free naloxone kits are distributed. Visit the Anyone. Anytime. Naloxone Events page for details.