A postoperative patient receiving meperidine (Demerol) becomes stuporous and has constricted pupils. The respiratory rate has dropped to 8 breaths/min. Which of the following drugs should the health care provider immediately obtain from the emergency cart
a. Hydrocortisone (Solu-Cortef)
b. Hydrocodone (Vicodin)
c. Naproxen (Naprosyn)
d. Naloxone (Narcan)
ANS: D
Administration of naloxone (Narcan) (short-acting) or naltrexone (Vivitrol) (longer-acting), the "pure" opioid antagonists, to an overdosed patient rapidly reverses the coma and respiratory de-pression of opioids. Since naloxone has little significant action on its own, it can be used to dif-ferentiate overdose with opioids from that of other central nervous system (CNS) depressants, reversing opioid toxicity but not that of alcohol, barbiturates, and other CNS depressants.
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