Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre reported deputies used naloxone to save the life of a Thibodaux man who is believed to have suffered an opioid overdose on Wednesday morning.

At around 10:25 a.m. on December 11, 2019, a woman reported that a male friend had entered a bathroom and never came out. When she entered to check on him, he had very shallow breathing and was turning blue. Deputies arrived and learned the man was a drug user and observed what appeared to be injection sites on his arm. Recognizing a possible opioid overdose, deputies administered naloxone to the man. He began to recover and show signs of improvement. EMTs were also present and transported the man to the hospital for further treatment.

Naloxone HCl, which is sold under brand names such as Narcan and Evzio, is used as a temporary antidote to treat an opioid overdose. The Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office initially obtained naloxone injectors at no cost to the agency in November 2017 from the Louisiana Department of Health’s Bureau of Emergency Medical Services and the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office. The LPSO has since acquired naloxone nasal spray applicators through a grant from the South Central Louisiana Human Services Authority. Many deputies carry the agency-issued naloxone applicators after undergoing proper training for use.