What is Narcan? Wakefield High School student in 'critical condition' after possible overdose 

A student from Wakefield High School suffered a drug overdose on Tuesday. The Arlington County Police Department and Fire Department arrived at the scene when a staff member at the school came across an unresponsive boy in the bathroom at around 9.30 am.

Students were kept behind in the second period for some time to help the police investigate the case better. Officials collected evidence and spoke to witnesses at Wakefield High School.

In an emergency dispatch audio accessed by News4, officials could be heard mentioning that Narcan had been administered to the youngster. They said:

"Cardiac arrest from an OD. Wakefield High School. Fourteen-year-old male they advised, was found in the bathroom. Narcan’s been administered. They ordered CPR."

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Narcan could help reduce the effects of OD like in the case at Wakefield High School

Narcan, or naloxone, is a nasal spray prescription medication used to tackle opioid overdose and reverse respiratory depression. It belongs to a new category called Opioid Antagonists or Opioid Reversal Agents.

It is meant to be sprayed once in each nostril with repeated sprays every two to three minutes. It is important to note that medical assistance should be called for even if the person wakes up after using Narcan.

According to Medical News Today, the correct way to administer Narcan is:

1. Place your thumb on the bottom of the plunger of the bottle and your first and middle fingers on either side of the nozzle.
2. Insert the tip of the nozzle gently into one nostril of the person.
3. Press the plunger firmly to give them the full dose of Narcan, and then remove the Narcan nasal spray device from their nostril.
4. Call 911 immediately after giving the first dose of Narcan.

Narcan is FDA-approved to treat opioid overdoses.

Symptoms of an opioid overdose, according to MNT are:

• respiratory depression (slow, weak breathing)
• being unusually sleepy
• loss of consciousness (unable to be awakened)
• pinpoint pupils, which are smaller-than-normal pupils (the dark center of the eyes)
• severely low blood pressure
• blue-colored lips and nails
• cold and clammy skin

Although Narcan can be used to stall for time, it is not a medical substitute. Once the effects of Narcan have subsided, the patient can go back to their original state, which can be extremely harmful.

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Aftermath of the Wakefield High School drug overdose case

The boy was immediately taken to the hospital after he was found but was still in 'critical condition' later that day. Wakefield High School Principal Chris Wilmore said that it was a 'difficult day' and that medical interventions were performed before paramedics arrived at the school.

The school and police have not revealed what kind of drug the boy overdosed on.

In an email blast sent by the Principal of Wakefield High School, Chris Wilmore, he said:

"If you continue to have concerns about your child, please contact your child’s school counselor, our school psychologist, or our school social worker. Students may experience a variety of emotions and you may see the following behaviors: tearfulness, vivid dreams, irritability, clinginess, withdrawal, physical complaints, or difficulty concentrating."

Elder Julio Basurto, a parent at Wakefield High School, said in a statement:

"I’m livid about what happened in Wakefield because we have been trying to tell the county schools, the Arlington County Public Schools for over a year that this situation has been going on, overdoses, distribution."

The Drug Enforcement Administration, in a conversation with News4, said that they were investigating the overdose. They mentioned that in overdose cases involving students, they mainly try to locate the drug dealers first.

Speculators believe that the boy overdosed on pills of fake oxycodone. Real oxycodone prescription pills are almost impossible to differentiate from fake ones that are laced with fentanyl. The DEA claimed that fake ones are illegally made in the crude mixing process. While one pill is harmless, another one from the same batch can be deadly - immediately causing an overdose or death.

According to NBC4 Washington, the lead investigator said:

“These aren't pharmacists making these pills, these are members of cartels, drug traffickers. They're not chemists; they're making these in clandestine labs in Mexico."

Montgomery County Council Member Will Jawando warned the students on Monday about these fake prescription pills:

"Takes a little bit, and you can die."

The suspected overdose case comes amid a sharp spike in similar incidents, mainly involving teenagers in D.C. in the United States of America.

Jawando stated that five public school students in the county had already died of drug overdoses in January 2023.