A Kanawha Sheriff's deputy on Monday administered a drug meant to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose to a 21-year-old Charleston man.
When Lt. J.S. Elkins responded to a call that came from a home on Oakhurst Drive, he found a man experiencing shallow breathing, said Sgt. Brian Humphreys, a spokesman for the Kanawha Sheriff's Office.
Elkins administered a dose of naloxone, which is meant to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.
Two others in the house then helped Elkins set up a breathing bag for the man to use. An ambulance arrived right after Elkins had given the man a second dose of naloxone.
The man told Elkins that he had overdosed on a prescription pill, not an opioid, Humphreys said.
"Elkins told the patient he was just there to help him and didn't need to know his drug history, but, for his own health, it would be good to tell the medics what actually happened," Humphreys said.
The deputy then stepped away from the man so he could meet privately with paramedics.
No arrests were made.
"We hope he gets treatment for any underlying addictions," Humphreys said.
Emergency medical services workers have been using naloxone, also known by the brand name Narcan, for decades to treat overdose patients they encounter in the field. Earlier this year, the West Virginia Legislature passed a bill to allow police, firefighters, and friends and family members to administer the drug to people overdosing on heroin or prescription pain pills. The Kanawha County Sheriff's Office launched a naloxone program in September.