Heroin use and overdose is becoming something of an epidemic across the U.S. The recent deaths of Philip Seymour Hoffman and "Glee" star Cory Monteith have helped bring light to this particular issue, but there is also new data backing it up, according to Las Cruces News. It turns out that heroin-related deaths have increased 84 percent from 2010 to 2012, which shows that heroin is becoming a growing and dangerous problem, according to CNN.
Both heroin and painkillers act on the same brain areas, which make them very addictive. In fact, the National Institute on Drug Abuse is highlighting the dangers of heroin after Hoffman's recent death, according to Las Cruces News. The NIDA reports that in 2011, at least 4.2 million Americans 12 and older had used heroin at least once in their lives; of these, about 23 percent became dependent on the drug. In fact, the state of New Hampshire saw one of its worst years yet in 2013 for heroin abuse. About 63 people died from heroin, compared with the 37 that died in 2012, according to Patch.com.
Yet there's a new drug on the market designed to reverse opioid prescription drug and heroin overdoses. Called naloxone, the drug has the potential to save lives in the field, according to CNN. In fact, a group of NYPD officers on Staten Island were able to save the life of one man who was suffering from heroin overdose. If this particular drug becomes more widespread, it could potentially help save others.
As heroin continues to be an ongoing issue in the United States, it's more important than ever to aim at treatment. Naloxone, which can rapidly free receptors that are locked onto by heroin, presents a potential way to help with this goal. As of 2010, naloxone was distributed in 15 states and the District of Columbia, according to CNN.
