Goldfrank et al recommended doses of intravenous naloxone to treat a patient who has overdosed on an opioid.
Patient selection: adult with opioid overdose
The effect of naloxone is relatively short-lived, and additional therapy is required for a long-acting opioid or if continued absorption from the GI tract is occurring.
Therapy should consist of:
(1) Giving an initial bolus given IV sufficient to cause reversal of respiratory depression, starting at 2 to 4 mg.
(2) This is followed by a continuous infusion as two-third of the bolus dose required for reversal in mg per hour.
(3) The infusion is continued for as many hours as needed depending on the clinical status and opioid.
The patient should be closely monitored with dosing adjusted depending on the clinical response.
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