Emergency responders will be able to carry buprenorphine, which has been shown to reduce the symptoms of opioid withdrawal
For years, paramedics in Camden have revived certain residents from heroin overdoses over and over again using naloxone, or Narcan, only to have these individuals rush off to get another fix of illegal drugs to calm the anxiety, muscle cramps and vomiting that accompany withdrawal.
But emergency responders in New Jersey now have a new tool at their disposal, a medicine that starts to reduce the painful withdrawal symptoms — often likened to a severe intestinal flu — moments after a patient pops it in their mouth.
