New National Library of Medicine Video Offers Info on the Opioid Crisis

NIH has made the opioid epidemic a priority, launching a multi-institute effort to find scientific solutions to the crisis.

NLM is doing its part by getting the word out about the life-saving medication naloxone. Recently, MedlinePlus partnered with the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to produce an animation about the treatment.

Naloxone might be thought of as an antidote to opioid overdose. It works fast to reverse overdose effects, and it’s safe and easy to use. Even people untrained in health care can carry and use the naloxone nasal spray or injector—and possibly save a life.

The sharable video explains how naloxone works, when to use it, and how it is administered. Please feel free to pass it along.

MedlinePlus is an NLM resource for more information and trusted links about the opioid epidemic.

NIDA and NIH are researching many avenues to decrease lives lost from opioids. Naloxone is great for reversing overdose effects—but only when they are caught early. In the future, we are hoping to develop better pain management and treatment of opioid abuse so that overdoses will be a thing of the past. You can always check NLM and MedlinePlus for more up-to-date, vetted health information.

Article and video by Jeff Day, MD, medical illustrator and informatics fellow at the National Library of Medicine