Naloxone saves lives after a heroin overdose, but does it also encourage addiction? To the Editor: You say naloxone "carries no health risk; it cannot be abused and, if given mistakenly to someone who has not overdosed on opioids, does no harm." In fact, like most drugs, naloxone can have adverse effects, most of which are mild, but some, such as severe hypertension, decreased platelet function, coma and death, are very significant. Severe hypertension and tachycardia can likely be exacerbated in patients who have taken amphetamines or cocaine in addition to opioids, causing heart attack or stroke. Fortunately, most overdoses treated with naloxone occur in young patients who tolerate side effects. However, I am concerned about propagating the myth that this drug is completely safe and thereby inadvertently adding a new game to the highs of addiction - get high, push the experience to near death, make sure naloxone is handy for reversal, and repeat. We may indeed see more complications if patients are using multiple rounds of opioids and naloxone. Milford, Conn. The writer is an anesthesiologist. [end]
David Yepsen stated in his June 21 column that allowing felons to vote would tip the balance in favor of Democrats. Does this mean we Democrats can count on the support of Bernard Ebbers (Worldcom), Frank Quatrone (Credit Suisse First Boston), John Rigas (Adelphia), Andrew Fastow (Enron), Dennis Kozlowski and Mark Schwartz (Tyco) when they get out of prison? And, of course, we're still waiting for Jeff Skilling and Ken Lay to be tried for fraud almost four years after Enron's collapse. If convicted (and we hope they are), will they work for Democratic candidates from behind bars? Charlotte Hubbell Des Moines [end]
