Narcan nasal spray inventor treats apparent opioid overdose with Narcan
Roger Crystal leaped out of his vehicle to help when he and his wife noticed a man suffering a medical emergency on a Los Angeles sidewalk
By Kerri Hatt
LOS ANGELES — Roger Crystal and his wife, Michelle, were driving through downtown Los Angeles, when they spotted a man lying on the sidewalk, with his dog by his side. The couple, who are medically trained, stopped, and Michelle called 911 while Roger rushed to help.
“The reality is that if you see someone unresponsive, lying on the street in this country, it's an opioid overdose until proven otherwise,” Crystal told NBC4.
Crystal administered one dose of Narcan, for which he invented the nasal spray version of the drug, and always carries with him. Firefighter-paramedics administered a second dose upon arrival, and the man was able to communicate before being transported to the hospital.
It might seem like a coincidence that a man who stopped to help an apparent opioid drug overdose victim on a Los Angeles street just happened to be carrying Narcan. But that man who pulled over to help was Roger Crystal — the man who invented Narcan. https://t.co/8iTZFP2LRg
— NBC Bay Area (@nbcbayarea) October 7, 2021
