New Hampshire 6-year-old boy revived with Narcan after possible opioid overdose

As the opioid epidemic continues across the U.S., a 6-year-old boy had to be revived with Narcan after found unconscious from an alleged opioid overdose

Photo Narcan pen seen on sidewalk outside apartment screen capture from YouTube/WMUR-TV

In what is considered to be the first time the narcotic antidote had been used on a child in the state of New Hampshire, a six-year-old was revived with Narcan at 6 a.m. on Tuesday morning, after suffering a possible overdose.

Child overdoses on opioids in a Manchester apartment

Police responded to a Manchester apartment on Tuesday morning to find a six-year-old boy, lying unresponsive from a possible overdose of some kind of opioid drug. According to Manchester Police, the boy came around as soon as Narcan was administered.

Now detectives are investigating the incident as a possible overdose as Narcan will only revive someone exposed to an opioid. Lt. Brian O’Keefe told WBZ that it was “gut-wrenching,” saying it was particularly tough on their officers, who regularly respond to overdose calls, but not calls involving young children. 

One of the paramedics who responded to the scene said he had never seen the anti-overdose drug used on a child in his more than two decades on the job.

In his more than two decades on the job, a New Hampshire paramedic had never seen Narcan used on a child until yesterday pic.twitter.com/HfWTV0IY9x

— David Robichaud (@RobiWBZ) July 19, 2017

So far no arrests have been made and the child was still in hospital on Thursday and in a stable condition. However the child will be placed in the care of another relative, other than those he was with when he suffered the overdose. Police have not released the type of opioid drug the six-year-old boy was exposed to, or which family members he was with at the time of the overdose. However, O’Keefe said when a young child is involved it could be something as simple as touching something in the home, like a kitchen table, sink or a doorknob. He said if there are trace amounts of an opiate derivative such as fentanyl or carfentanyl, the results could have been far worse.

According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, opioids are easily absorbed even with simple skin contact and the drug takes effect very quickly. They say just 2 or 3 milligrams of fentanyl could be fatal. However, when it comes to a child, it would take only 1 to 1.5 milligrams to have a fatal effect.

New Hampshire becomes a focal point in the U.S. opioid epidemic

According to AMR communications director Kim Warth, New Hampshire has become a focal point for the opioid epidemic in America. According to CNN, there have been 176 youths from 10 to 19 years of age involved in opioid-related visits to the emergency room, while five children under the age of ten have also been hospitalized.

Children should never be exposed to opioids

Neighbors in the area are shocked and concerned over the child’s overdose incident, with Al Pellerin saying you cannot let a six-year-old be exposed to something like this and almost die from the experience.