Amount of Naloxone Used to Reverse Opioid Overdoses Outside of Medical Practice In A City With Increasing Illicitly Manufactured Fentanyl In Illicit Drug Supply

In 2015, 33,091 persons in the United States died from an opioid-related drug overdose.The epidemic of opioid overdose deaths has led to expanding the use of naloxone in community settings by non–medically trained bystanders who are often people who use drugs (PWUD). Since 2013, illicitly manufactured fentanyl (IMF), fentanyl analogs, and other synthetic opioids have played an increasing role in overdose deaths in the United States. Illicitly manufactured fentanyl (IMF) prevalence has increased. However, there is uncertainty about naloxone dose(s) used by nonmedical bystanders to reverse opioid overdoses in the context of increasing IMF.