alexisbmosley

Thank you all for your input. I talked to her about what I'd found and what you all had responded with. As a nurse, it's my job to educate my patient rather than judge/assume. While there might be a possibility that it was a drug overdose, I felt it necessary to at least attempt to answer her questions. Thanks again!

Today I had a patient who wanted further information on her condition as it pertains to a specific event. I've tried researching on my own and can't quite find what I'm looking for, so I thought I'd see if anyone on here had any input. My patient is a quadriplegic (as a result of a car accident over a decade ago), who has autonomic dysreflexia. About a month ago, there was an incident in which she was headed into a coma-like state during an attack of unrelieved autonomic dysreflexia. She has a history of drug abuse, so when she was found unresponsive, they administered Narcan (assuming she had overdosed). The patient explained to me that it was not an overdose, however. She explains that it was her autonomic dysreflexia. She has been very involved in her medical care since the car accident, and knows what's happening with her body at all times. When she says it was autonomic dysreflexia and not an overdose, I believe her. However, they are trying to pin her for drug abuse. The argument is that Narcan brought her back, so it "had to have been an overdose". My patient wanted my help in learning more about what happened to support her case. Does anyone know the effects of Narcan in an autonomic dysreflexia crisis? Or any insight on the incident at all? I really want to be able to educate my patient on her condition, but can't find anything pertaining to this situation. Thanks!